Of what could have been
by Missingmoney
Summary: At the climax of the fifth war, Shirou expected his life to come to an end following his defeat at the hands of Angelica. But fate never goes as one expects it to. Waking up in a brand new world with his sister at his side, Shirou and Miyu both have to adapt quickly, for their troubles are far from over.
1. Chapter 1

**Well the good news is that unlike the previous story, I've managed to think up a direction I wish to take this story.  
** **The bad news is that I don't have a beta nor anyone to help me with, so most of my writing is just done by myself with little experience**

 **Oh and I owe nothing.**

* * *

"You know, there is really no need to do this."

"It's fine. After all you've done for us, it's the least I can do."

Shirou replied as he continued to smoke the fish. After spending days in bed, he was happy to finally be able to do something. His body still hurt, but he didn't mind it. Cooking for his sister and the elderly lady who took care of him was the least he could do, or so he told himself.

The old lady shook her head as she sat next to him. "It's not my place to tell you what you can or cannot do. Just don't over do it. You've only just recovered."

"I'll be fine. Compared to what I've been through, a minor activity would be for the better. Besides, my whole body is stiff from lying down for so long." Shirou sighed before he flashed a smile at his companion. "Besides Lady Gabriella, it's only cooking."

"Drop the lady part. I'm just a grandmother living out retired life at a farm."

* * *

 _Shirou relaxed himself as Miyu buried her face into his chest crying tears of relief. The redhead wondered what was going on. The last thing he remembered was how he received a critical blow from Angelica and watching as his reality marble was ripped apart from the inside._

" _M-Miyu, is-is that you?"_

 _His sister quickly pulled back and nodded as she wiped the tears away._

" _You're alive! You're really alive!"_

 _His mind needed a moment to register what was going on._

" _Miyu, it's really you right?" Immediately his sister nodded excitedly. "I-I'm still alive?"_

" _You are! We both are!"_

* * *

"So Shirou, what are your plans now that you've recovered? I don't mind you two staying here, as while I enjoy the peace, it can get a little lonely by myself." The elderly woman asked. "I wanted to ask you this, but it didn't seem like a good time when you were still in bed recovering."

The three of them sat together at the dining table having a meal.

"To be honest, I hadn't thought much about it." He clenched his fists. "I barely know anything about this world other than it's name."

"Oni-chan, we'll both be here for some time regardless." Miyu spoke up. "If we can't go back we should at least think about our situation."

"Our situation…" Shirou closed his eyes and did some thinking. "First up, we'll need to know more about the world before we can decide on a course of action."

At this moment Gabriella spoke up. "If you don't mind me speaking, I have a question. I am just an elderly lady with no special skills, but even I can recognize from physical illness from mythical ones. When I first examined you I knew those wounds could not be cause by physical means. What kind of physical injury could literally divide a person's skin colour. Tell me do they still affect you?"

"They-" Shirou closed his mouth upon seeing his sister's worried expression. "-do somewhat. But it's not like it's hindering me in anyway." There was no point lying in front of his sister. It would only worry her more. "My body functions are still fine."

The elderly lady shrugged before taking a bite out of her bread. "You should get a check up regardless. You all know that you should never just blindly trust anything when it comes to the mystic. I wouldn't be surprise if down the road your body breaks down."

"She's right Oni-chan! I was thinking about your body as well!"

"Even if you say that, I don't know what I should do about it. Like I said, we don't know anything about this world."

* * *

" _Azeroth? Is this where we are?"_

 _Miyu nodded as she changed the towels. "It's what the old lady Gabriella said. She seems to believe that that we are either from somewhere far away or even perhaps from another world rather easily. In fact, it was the first thing she asked of me while she assisted me in carrying you back to her home."_

" _Did she say why?" Shirou pressed the wet towel against his forehead, trying to cool himself. The boy's body was in agony ever since he woke up. He knew he would likely be bedridden for some time. "It's hard to believe someone would believe such a thing so easily."_

" _When I asked her how she could believe me so easily, she only said that after what happened twenty years ago, it's not unbelievable for there to be an otherworldly visitor."_

" _What happened twenty years ago?"_

" _She told me that the whole land was engulfed in a war with orcs from another world. The war lasted for nearly a decade before they were defeated and driven back home. Ever since the war, it's been made common knowledge of the existence of other worlds. She said that in her younger days, she traveled across the land, but never seeing clothing like yours, and never hearing of our language either."_

" _Wait!" Shirou spoke up quickly, realizing something off. "If she never heard of our language, how come you can talk to her?"_

* * *

"Imagine my surprise when English was a common language between our two worlds." Shirou put away the plates for washing later on. "The chances of such a thing is incredibly low."

"I suppose." Gabriella chuckled while sitting back in her rocking chair. "Then again, that's just how life works. So have you given any thought about what you wish to do?"

"I've talked to Miyu earlier. We agreed that it would be best if I could get someone to examine my condition. We also want to see this world for ourselves before making a decision." He took a deep breath before he asked a question. "So I was wondering if you could give us some advice on where to go if we were to start?"

Gabriella shook her head. "I cannot tell you where would be a good place to start if you do not know what to do." There was a brief pause before she spoke again. "However I can tell you where you should go if you wish to go for your treatment. The best place would be Dalaran."

"Dalaran?"

"Yes, it's the capital of wizards. It houses the most knowledge regarding all things mythical in the continent. Though I would recommend you take caution when visiting."

"Why is that?" Shirou was curious. It was clear that unlike his world, magecraft was widely known here. "Are they not welcoming?"

"That...may depend." The old lady thought about how to answer his question. "Even though the wizards have worked with other kingdoms many times, many people in this land do not like their magics. For some reason many believe that all wizards tend to sell their souls in order to use this otherworldly powers. Though no one would attack them, that doesn't stop other people from looking down on them. If you use magic, you best not brag about it."

"That's not true is it?" Shirou was wary that the magi of this world would be similar to the ones back in his world. "The wizards here wouldn't such things would they?"

She shrugged. "Some do. Many don't however. Like you and me, most are honest to hard working individuals who are mostly misunderstood. Most wizards maybe rough and somethings arrogant, but they are not evil. Decades of misunderstanding and doubt tend to make them cynical and distrusting of outsiders, but not evil."

"You seem very knowledgeable about this kind of things. Personal experience?"

"Off course not." She snorted. "Most of what I've heard is from my grandson. He's a young wizard currently studying there. He comes back every once in awhile. In fact, he sends me money whenever he comes back."

Shirou thought for a while before he asked the next question. "So what does he do for a living then? In my world, most ma-mages don't really have any use of their magics outside of battling and for their own benefits."

"There are wizards who do make a living solely of combat, but there are many who make a living assisting other people. My grandson is considered a genius by many, but he cares little for fighting. Ever since young, he's been obsessed with fishing and only fishing." Gabriella sighed. "His name is Magross, he makes a living opening portals for traders to cross from part of the land to another in exchange for a small fee. It's no secret that he only learnt the arcane arts solely for the purpose of being able to fish in other environments."

Shirou laughed lightly at her words. It felt refreshing to hear people using magecraft for mundane purposes. "He sounds interesting. Would it be possible to meet him?"

"My grandson visits once every month and stays for a few days before returning to Dalaran. He usually visits near the end of the month. If you and your sister were to stay for a few more days you would likely be able to meet him."

"It sounds like a plan."

* * *

" _How are you feeling?"_

" _Much better." Shirou winced in pain the moment he tried to get up. His body wasn't used to the sudden movement after just waking up. "At least compared to before."_

 _Gabriella smirked as she sat next to him. "Yes, you certainly are the epitome of perfect health." She said in a mix of a teasing and sarcastic tone. "It's not as if your body is in any pain after all."_

" _At least I can move." Shirou laughed only to wince in pain. "Oh and talk as well."_

" _If you can do that much, you wouldn't mind a short conversation?"_

" _Not at all. I too want to ask something off you."_

" _Oh?" The elderly lady was surprised for a moment. "What is it?"_

" _What was I like when you found me?"_

" _You were badly injured in the nearby forest where I often pick my herbs. Imagine my surprise when I heard someone crying out loudly in a language I didn't recognize." There was a brief pause before she spoke again. "When I approached, I found your sister over your body. It was clear that she was in a panic given how worried she was. If we hadn't been able to even communicate at all, I doubt she would have allowed me the chance to even examine you."_

 _Shirou knew that somehow he had gotten a second chance to live. He hadn't fully been able to come to terms with how he had managed to survive. He spent the most important periods of his life fighting, that he never thought about his future, nor his sister's future. All he thought about was saving her and bringing her far away to a place where no one would be able to reach her._

" _So you two aren't from this world are you?"_

" _No. " He shook his head. "I'm actually surprise you can ask that so calmly."_

" _It's been a few days since I found you. I've had time to get over my surprise. Besides, those wounds of yours were not made by mundane means is it?" Gabriella traced one finger over his body. "Or at least not purely by it. I've lived a long time, seen all kinds of people get injured from many different things. I can recognize both physical and mythical wounds. The former is easy to treat, the latter is not. May I ask what happened?"_

" _It'll take some time to give the full story, so could you please wait until I've recovered?"_

" _I'll hold you to your word then. It wouldn't be nice to lie to an elderly woman now would it?"_

* * *

"What in blazes happened to you? Did you stand out in the sun with only half your body exposed to it. I've never seen such a condition before."

Magross was a young man in his twenties, but Shirou felt he seemed a bit older. He based it on the fact that the young wizard was balling. At only in his mid twenties, his hair had become very thin and part of his head was visible for all to see.

"If only it were that simple." He chuckled bitterly. The price of using Emiya's power had already taken a toll on him physically and perhaps mentally as well without realizing. "So I heard you could take me to this Dalaran?"

"I could, but I'm not in a rush." Magross shrugged. "Why don't we talk more about this somewhere else?"

Shirou looked around. "Isn't this quiet house a good enough place for a conversation?"

"I got somewhere better." His companion gave him a thumbs up.

Magross's idea was that of a river in the nearby forest. Shirou watched as he set up fishing gear, only talking when Magross had finally casted his lure in.

"So...what should we talk about first?"

"Your condition? Making a living? Or helping me with my fishing?"

"I'll go for the first one first."

"I'm no healer, so I can't say. The second? There's a lot of different ways to make one, but I think you'll have to see the world. I don't know anything about you after all." Magross yawned. "Making a living is easy, excelling and making a fortune is hard."

Shirou followed his example and cast his lure into the river. "Do you think it would be alright if I left my sister here for a while?"

"Why not let her come along as well?"

"Truth be told I'm a little worried about letting her out of my sight. Besides, I don't know what kind of place Dalaran is. It might be dangerous, it may not be. Until I get a good understanding of it, I better not risk it."

"Well it's not like your wrong." Magross said as he reeled his line back in and threw it back into the water. "Dalaran has it's share of troublemakers as well. There have been several events in the past like black market dealings and smuggling."

"All the more reason I should go first." Shirou sighed for a while. There was another topic on his mind that he waited until now to ask it. "Also I wanted to ask if the area around here is safe?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"I've only been here for slightly over a week and now I have to leave my little sister behind for a short while. Forgive me if I'm worried about her."

Magross scratched his chin. "My grandma lived here for nearly a decade since my parents death. She says that occasionally there are bandit attacks and that's about it at most. The village patrol usually is enough to deal with them most of the time."

"How often do these bandits attack?"

"Months in between at worst, and years at best." He shrugged. "These village is so isolated in the mountains that most bandits don't even think it's worth the effort to try and raid it due to the effort required."

"Are the bandits the only things to worry about."

Magross scratched his chin as his eyes narrowed. For the first time since they started talking Shirou noticed how his demeanour became more serious. "I'm not too sure about this. Originally I wasn't supposed to come for another day or two, but I admit I was a little worried."

"Worried...about what?"

"Lately there have a string of orcs raiding southern Lordaeron. This village is quite some distance away. I returned earlier to warn the village guardsman about the attacks, but they laughed saying it was unneeded and that the kingdom was going to send some people over." He then laughed. "I was still worried at first, until I heard who they were sending over. The legendary Uther The Lightbringer himself."

"Legendary?" Shirou muttered softly. The word brought back many memories that he would rather not recall. Memories of the deadly enemies he had cut through to retrieve his sister. He quickly shook his head and pushed those memories aside. There was no need for anymore fighting.

"Yes. Currently he's considered the greatest paladin to ever lived. His name is well respected and is trusted in almost every part of the Alliance. If he's personally coming to exterminate the orcs, there's nothing to worry about."

Shirou found it more tempting to take a short leave from this mountain village. "How long do you think it would take for a doc-healer to have a look at me?"

"A few hours at best." He shrugged. "You could go to an alchemist, but I advise against that. Dalaran's alchemists are prone always blowing things up. You'll only be gone for a few hours to have a check up at a healer's office at best. At most you'll be back by sunset after getting a small tour of the city."

"I see…" It was only then did Shirou realize one thing. "I forgot to mention that I don't have any currency at the moment. Could I borrow some money from you?"

* * *

 **There isn't much to be said. I'm writing this again. My English isn't so good. So I'm going to be making mistakes in my grammer and my vocab isn't that much better either.**

 **So Once again I have to remind people that they shouldn't expect too much.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Stop fidgeting, it's not like it would kill you."

"I'm sorry it's just that I'm little overwhelmed."

"Overwhelmed by this? Your world's magic must be primitive then."

Shirou laughed weakly as he looked around at how the city ran itself. Huge golems patrolling the cities, brooms and towels cleaning by themselves. Such things would likely not be seen in his world.

"Well it's not really primitive. It's just that in my world, almost every mage is selfish and only uses their own abilities for their own benefits. Most of which only use their abilities for fighting. Never for meager things like this."

"Like warlocks then?"

The boy crossed his arms and did a little thinking. "Your grandmother said something similar. When I told her about how selfish and cruel the magi or rather mages in my world was like, she immediately compared them to warlocks. What are the difference between mages and warlocks here?"

Magross shrugged as he answered without looking at him. The fishing obsessed mage was reading a book as he sat next to him. "First the different types of magic we use. Mages tend to focus on the arcane with a little bit of the elements on the side. Particularly fire and ice. Warlocks focus on Fel and demonic magic with a little bit of fire mixed on the side. Though they also do things like necromancy."

"That can't be all."

"The other major difference is their characters. Mages are often a lot more discipline and have been trained to control their powers. However Warlocks are often obsessed with power. They will do virtually almost ANYTHING for more power. Kidnap children, sacrifice people for power, extract their souls. Drink the blood of their enemies and more. And these are just some of the things they do."

"Are you saying mages don't?"

"No we don't. While there have been many mage criminals in the past. Virtually almost none of their crimes ever even come close to the level of evil that most warlocks have." There was a brief pause before he continued to speak. "That said, things have died down a little after the war with the orcs. While Warlocks still exists, the kingdoms have vastly tightened their hold over them and made sure that they don't cross some lines."

"Why not? If what you said about them was true, why keep them close at all?"

"They are a necessary evil. Occasionally there are events like wild demons threatening the world and it's people from the shadows. Sadly while mages and other warriors are capable of fighting them off, most of our methods are nowhere near as effective as theirs. The kingdoms have decided that compared to the unknown dangers out there, warlocks are the lesser of the two evils." Magross sighed. "If you were to tell outsiders you were a mage, they would at most treat you aggressively, look down on you or just be clasist. But if you were a warlock, don't be surprise if some regular citizen suddenly took out a knife and stabbed you in the open and no one comes to your aid."

Shirou shuddered before he changed the topic.

"On a side note, what's this arcane and fel magic you mention?"

"Two different sides of magic. Arcane is a cold intellectual magic that draws upon the power of the cosmos that allows the users to control time, space and even warp mana itself. The most skilled of users of the arcane can even perform miraculous feats such as time travel, dimensional travel."

"You mean it can perform true magic?"

"True magic?" Magross looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Shirou coughed, a little embarrassed for getting carried away. "Oh sorry. It's just that in my world, magic is classified into two categories. Magecraft and true magic. Magecraft in your terms, magic that can be replicated through science. For example, throwing a fireball, can be replicated by using a flamethrower." He allowed a moment for his companion to digest that information. "While true magic is basically performing feats that cannot be replicated or something that breaks all laws of science. Such as time travel, travelling into another universe, or bringing the dead back to life. The last one has to be true resurrection, not a bastardized version like necromancy."

"I don't know about the resurrection part, but time travelling and dimensional hopping exists among the most powerful arcane wielders. Though it isn't as grand as one believes it to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well for starters, in this world, there exists a flight of dragons known as the bronze dragonflight. They are a race of dragons who can all manipulate time." He put up his hand. "Yes, before you ask, everyone last one of them can manipulate time, even the whelpings. They serve as the protectors of time. If any mage were to try and time travel back into the past and change it, they won't hesitate to kill that said interloper immediately. There is no place in time that they cannot reach."

"I...see." Shirou sighed. "If only there was something like that in my universe."

"Why would you say that?"

The boy shook his head. "In my universe, there is a world famous sorcerer by the name of Zeltrach, and one of the very people in my world who can use true magic. He's basically so far above everyone else in my world that he might as well be considered the strongest mage in the world. However while not evil, all he uses his powers for are childish games and making lives miserable for other people. And the worst part is that he gets away with literally everything, because being the only individual in the world who can travel across the multiverse, there is no one who can touch him. If only there were beings who could prevent abuse of such power in my world, he wouldn't be so troublesome."

Before they could continue their conversation, the door opened and out stepped a beautiful woman.

"Sh-Shu-Sheero Emmiyar? Is that how you pronounce your name?"

"It's Shirou-Shirou Emiya." The said boy stood up.

"Well come on in then."

Margoss resumed reading his book while his companion followed the healer in.

"Take a seat."

Shirou did as she asked.

"Now take off your shirt."

"Right…"

"Really, I knew it was a possibility, but I didn't think I would meet a human from another world. It's common knowledge here that there were ogres in Draenor just like here, but humans are another story."

He couldn't help but stare at her as she examined his body. Her fingers glowed a violet blue as she traced his body.

"Unusual. Definitely not caused by something physical. Hmm...it's nothing like anything I've ever-I know I'm beautiful by human standards, but there's no need to stare like that."

Shirou quickly looked aside embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't mean too. It's just that in my world, elves are mostly beings told in stories. As they went extinct a long time ago."

"Oh?" She pulled away. "Tell me more about them."

"I don't know much miss-"

"Celestine, but I prefer Celine. My full name is too formal for my taste."

"Right…" There was a brief pause before he continued speaking. "Elves, Dwarves, gnomes, orcs, they are mostly fairy tales in my world. While they did exist at one point in time, they faded away eventually."

"How interesting, so what kind of beings do you still have then?"

"Humans, and more humans. While there exists other beings in my world, they are extremely rare and have gone into hiding. Humans the dominant species there. What we know of your kind are mostly fairy tales and base on historical records. What happened that caused the other races to vanish isn't really clear."

"I see...that's sad to hear then." She sighed. "My kind used to joke about humans would likely end up destroying themselves first rather than an outside force. I wonder how they'll feel about the elves of your world."

Shirou continued to speak, not feeling comfortable with the silence. "Well are you vegetarian? Because in my world, most elves are known to only eat vegetables, and they have a strong connection to nature and live very long lives."

"No we're not like our annoying and hated Night Elven counterparts." She spat out. "Well except for the long life span, but even we are not ageless."

"Night Elven?"

Celine sighed as she pulled away. "It's a long story, and I rather not get into it. It's also not exactly a pleasant or common topic around here, so don't ask about the night elves. If you asked any other elf about them, don't be surprise if they respond with a fireball to your face. Let's just say that if you compare them to the elves of your world, they won't take it lightly."

"Oh...right…"

A moment of silence passed between them before the healer pulled back and sighed. "I can't do anything. Your body's symptoms is caused by unknown magics. I don't have enough details about what the nature of this magic is to even begin." She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath before speaking again. "I need to know a little bit more about the magic you used to acquire this kind of injuries before I can say anything."

"I...see." Shirou was a little disappointed. "I mean that makes sense. If it's any consolation, I doubt the magi or rather mage of my world would be able to do anything either. My condition is incredibly rare even in my world."

"What was it caused by?" She rolled back on her chair and crossed her legs. "A forbidden spell?"

Certainly not an image people would think an elf would display back in his home world.

"Not quite." He took a moment to think of an answer. "It's more of a powerful relic. This relic held the memories of a skilled warrior who was also a mage. Due to some circumstances, I was forced to rely on his power. My body's condition is because of me using all the powerful magic and skills he acquired in his life."

Celine asked her next question after giving some thought. "So how does it affect you now that you aren't using it?"

"Physically I'm fine. I can do regular activities with ease. Though my body suffers some depending on how much of those skills I use. If I use it sparingly it's fine, but too much usage, and my body can self-destruct."

"I see…" She replied calmly. "I won't ask anymore if it bothers you. I can't do anything to heal your body as I'm not familiar with the magic you use. I won't charge you anything since this was a wasted trip."

"Wait I was getting charged?"

Celine looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Off course, what healer offers their services for free? Even residents of Dalaran have to pay the full course. What were you expecting?"

"That I was getting it for free?"

"Hahaha...no. I feel sorry for you having no money as a newcomer to our world, but there are no free services here. You best find a job soon."

"Right…"

A job, a livelihood. Just another reminder that he needed to find a way to settle down.

* * *

"You aren't going back yet?"

"Not yet, there's still a few more things I want to see."

"I'm not paying for anything."

"That's fine."

Shirou examined the vicinity of the streets he walked in. Wanting to get a better understanding of the world.

"Blacksmithing and Tailoring I get." He had stopped outside a workshop and examined the blacksmiths at work. Like with Celine earlier, he found it rather hard to take his eyes off the workers. Short, but bulky and incredibly muscular, with incredibly flamboyant facial hair.

"So those are dwarves."

The boy continued to observe their work. The said people just looked at him once and shrugged before returning to work.

"What can you tell me about them?"

"Dwarves? They're short, incredibly strong physically. They are also famous for their blacksmithing skills. Many famous and even some legendary weapons were forged from their hands. The most famous one of all is the Ashbringer."

"How do they feel regarding magi...I mean mages." He corrected himself at the last second.

"Depends." He shrugged. "The Dwarves may have a capital city, but they are still splintered into different clans and then inside the clans there are still sub groups. Some may accept our kind with ease, while others would ostracize us. In fact, humans are similar to them in that aspect. Most of the ones who ostracize us mages are the ones who are either descended or related to a warrior based family or clan. In fact a good number of the students in the academy were outcasted from their families simply because they inherited the power of magic despite being born into a family of warriors."

"What about the Gnomes?"

"They are much more accepting of people as long as you aren't goblins. They really hate goblins and even more so if you compare them to each other. Their technology and level of science is far ahead of the other races, though most of them have huge egos belaying small sizes."

"I don't see any of them around here."

"You won't catch Gnomes in areas at a blacksmith. They don't like physical activities. They consider it primitive and a waste of time. They prefer things like engineering, Alchemy, Enchanting and Inscription. Events like Blacksmithing and Mining are considered barbaric to them."

Shirou almost wanted to point out Engineering was quite physical, but decided against it.

Magross let out a yawn. "I would take you to the other side of the city if I had time, but it's getting late. You would probably be back after midnight if you were to go sightseeing there, and I have to attend classes tomorrow much to my chagrin which means that I have to stay overnight in the dorms."

"I understand."

There would be time for further sightseeing in the future. It was better to return home and not worry his sister. He followed his companion to a nearby inn, where he purchased several items from it before leaving.

"I have to ask what's the quickest way to earn money here?" He asked while Magross was preparing a portal spell.

"There are many quick ways to earn a fortune, all of them are dangerous though. Adventurers are the easiest way, but also the most dangerous one. You can basically do any kind of work with any company for any fee you negotiate with, but all the risks are entirely on your own. Otherwise the only ways would be to either invent something outrageous or discover something unknown and publicized it to the world."

He should have known it was an impossible thing to ask for, but he still did. Finding a way to earn money was important, as bad as he felt, he and his sister could stay with Gabriella for a little while more until he found a stable job.

"Here!" The wizard passed him a basket of fruits. "Give it to my grandmother."

"Right." Shirou accepted the basket.

Dalaran was but one place on this new world, but it already gave him several topics to think about for the future. He would continue his thinking when he returned home.

Magross told him that it was near impossible to open a portal with pinpoint accuracy, the closest he could do was an area near the village.

The moment he stepped out of the portal, he almost dropped the goods in his hand.

"What-"

Fire and smoke were everywhere around him. The village was burning all around him. He looked around and noticed many dead bodies belonging to the villagers scattered around him. His mind was a mess, it was only because someone was calling him that he regained his senses quickly.

"Shirou!"

Slumped against the wall, there was a guardsman bleeding out. He held the side of his stomach trying to slow the bleeding.

"Tai! What happened here?!" Shirou asked as he removed his helmet to examine him.

Inwardly he cursed himself for not knowing any form of healing. At the very least he could have soothed the pain if he couldn't save him.

"O-Orcs...They suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The village guards weren't equipped to handle an attack of their caliber and were soon overwhelmed." He coughed out blood shortly after answering. "We tried our best, but it wasn't enough. After clearing up the central area, they spread out to look for others living on the edge of the village and those nearby."

"Miyu! What about my sister? Do you know what happened to her."

The guard took a deep breath before he coughed. "She's alive. The Orcs for some reason weren't here to pillage any goods or to blindly kill. They came here capturing whatever villagers and any other people they could. I saw your sister being dragged away in cages that the raiders along with Gabriella and the other woman and children. They only killed the guards and those who stood up against them."

"Which way did they go?"

"They were rounding everyone up in the north of the village. Likely to leave from there once done. You better hurry, if they leave you may not be able to catch up."

As much as Shirou wanted to at least tend to his wounds, he knew that time was of the essence. Even without healing magecraft, saving him would still be possible if he worked quickly, but he didn't have that luxury. It was as he said.

"Thank you."

He would moan for him later on, for now the only thing that mattered was saving his sister. He had finally retrieved her after so much difficulties, he was not going to lose her once more. His body may not be in peak condition, but it was unlikely he would face adversaries as great as the ones in the Grail War.

"Trace...on…"

Twin blades appeared in his hands, one pristine white, and the other black.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. Even in his short time here, he knew that Azeroth was far from peaceful and he would have to fight once more if he was to survive.

Without saying anything else, he sprinted towards the center of the village.

* * *

 **My English isn't that great, so I'm trying to keep it simple. No fancy words or that would just make me look stupid.**

 **From what I've read in some novels and comics, mages and the likes aren't exactly welcomed among the people, especially towards those related to the warrior families and even worse if they were related to the Paladins. Though I maybe wrong in some areas. I would like some advice or knowledge from one who knows more about them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**To think there were actually people who enjoy reading this. I'm not a good writer or anything. I'm fairly new, and in no way do I think I can actually write an epic story. Even at best, I can only write a mediocre fic.**

 **So I'm going to apologize to everyone for 2 things.**

 **1)I'm not dead, but I've been doing other hobbies that I forgot about FF for a while.**

 **2) This isn't some great story. It's mostly just for fun, and if you want to complain about my work, then go ahead. Flamers will be reported though.**

* * *

Blood and gore splattered as a series of swords pierced their bodies.

Though orcs may have stronger physical attributes than a human, they were still flesh and blood.

His projected weapons flew through the air, severing any orc unfortunate enough to encounter him. Shirou ran through the burning village ignoring any object in his way. If there were debris, he would cut it down. If there were enemies, he would slaughter them quickly. They were more of an annoyance than a danger to someone like him.

With his body reinforced, it didn't take long before he reached the centre of the village.

"There's still people here?"

Humans and orcs clashed in the centre of the village amidst the flames. Shirou noticed immediately that the men were better armed than the village guards. Better trained as well, given how these humans were beating back the orcs.

"Reinforcements?"

It was a possibility, but rather unlikely.

He ignored the battle and took advantage to pursue his target.

" _At the Northern exit of the village."_ He reminded himself.

"Hurl these wretches off with the rest of the them. We have all that we come for." A larger orc wearing bulkier armour called out while riding a huge wolf. Next to him was a line of people tied together in a series of ropes. Orcs leading them forth in one direction.

The humans were advancing on their direction to stop them, but the orc raiders hindered their progress. Shirou fared better due to reinforcement. He was faster and stronger than his enemies. It helped that the orcs had no magic of their own. He was able to clear most of the way simply by projecting swords to impale his enemies. Though it ate away at his supplies quickly, it was a price worth paying.

A powerful blow knocked his projected swords out of the way. While the grunts were unable to properly defend themselves, their leader was able to do so. He leapt forth and Shirou evaded the attack by rolling to the side.

A massive axe swung downwards, but Kanshou easily blocked it. The wolf followed up with an attack by lunging forth ready to Shirou's head off. The redhead jumped back in time to avoid having his face bitten off.

Shirou gritted his teeth as the leader attacked again. Quickly he reacted as the wolf leapt forth. He crouched down and touched the ground. "Trace on." A sword burst forth from the ground and impaled the wolf from the jaw.

The impact threw it's master off and Shirou jumped forth and brought his sword down. He barely managed to block the attack. Though it took a little effort, Shirou overpowered him pushed the weapons straight into the orc's neck, killing him.

Breathing out a sigh, he looked around and noticed the aftermath. The fighting was already over, the humans had won, and the fires were being put out, but none of that mattered. His sister had been taken away in the brief moment.

"Damn it!" He punched the nearby wall hard enough to make a small crack. He punched the ground a second time. "If only I hadn't gone off!"

The trail was still fresh, but the fact that he had allowed his sister to be kidnapped again, caused him to panic. Had he been thinking straight, the trail could still be followed with some difficulty.

The boy's frustration and sadness was momentarily forgotten as footsteps approached him. He looked to the side and saw a large heavily armor individual stop in front of him. Though he didn't know who this figure was, he knew that he wasn't a normal man. The hammer he wielded was not like the regular ones that the footmen were using. He could easily sense that it was a blessed weapon, even without examining it's history.

The blonde muscular man placed his hammer onto the ground next to him as he spoke.

"Are you a villager here?"

It took all the willpower Shirou had just to calm himself enough to answer him.

"No, but I was injured badly some time ago and the villagers here took pity on me, they nursed me back to health and gave me and my sister a place among them." He felt bad that he had put them as a secondary concern. But his feelings towards sister outweigh anything he may have felt for them.

"I...see." The man nodded. "I am Prince Arthas, and I must apologize. I was assigned to stop the orcs mindless attacks, this disaster is my responsibility."

Shirou took a deep breath before replying. "It would be hypocritical to blame you when I wasn't even around." Had he been around, the attack would have been almost immediately. The skills he had easily surpassed any regular warrior.

Neither man spoke for a moment to gather their thoughts. It was Arthas who finished first.

"Those orcs, they are not going to kill the prisoners...at least not yet."

"What?"

"My uncle mentioned that these orcs, they capture prisoners, to bring them to places to conduct rituals using the humans they captured as sacrifices for power. If it is true, we still have time to save the few that were captured."

"Is this true?"

"My uncle has encountered many of this events before. If he says so, then it most likely is."

"Do you know where they are taking them?"

"My uncle would know. I heard he was pursuing the main force. I came here to assist this village, but it appears I may have been a little late."

"May I come along?" Shirou's question caught him by surprise. "My sister was taken away. You can not expect me to sit back and do nothing. Furthermore, I am far from a defenceless individual. This may sound like I'm bragging, but I'm confident that I am stronger than most of the men that follow you."

"Indeed...I did not see you fight, but I heard from my men how you overwhelmed most of the orcs easily and defeated the leader here, so I will not doubt your word. If you are confident that you are strong enough, then you may follow me." The hammer that was planted in the ground was lifted up and pointed at him. "However, make no mistake. No matter how good you are or what reasons you have, if you trouble or endanger anyone. I will not hesitate to remove you immediately. Is this understood?"

"I understand."

It was a strange experience. Shirou having been used to operating by himself, found it awkward to be around others. Doubly so when it was with a person whose culture and background was foreign to him. None of that mattered. All that he could think of was retrieving his sister.

* * *

" _He's incredible._ _"_

That was the first thought that went through Shirou's mind the moment he met with Uther. Arthas and several of the villagers had told him of the Paladins, and from there, he knew that they were humans with a good deal of power, but Uther was beyond his expectations.

His very presence radiated incredible power. Enough power that a normal person would be hard pressed to even stand against him, let alone fight him. The man was old, but his age did little to hide the power and danger he possessed.

Even for Shirou who had faced off against other heroic spirits and lived, found it difficult being in his presence. He had heard tales of Uther the Lightbringer and how his name was spread across the land as a living legend. Tales and songs were already being told and sung across the continent. It was likely that had this world followed rules similar to his, Uther may have reached the qualifications of becoming a heroic spirit.

"I heard from my nephew that you wish to assist us in dealing with the orcs in hopes of saving your loved one."

"...Yes."

"I understand." The man shook his head slowly. "I must confess that I am not very fond of your kind, but I will not treat you any differently. If you are to travel with us, then control yourself. I will not allow you to endanger anyone even if it is for the sake of your loved ones. If you wish to assist us, remember that."

"I will."

The heavy presence was lifted without warning, only to be replaced with a soothing one. Shirou took a breath to calm himself immediately. The elder turned towards Arthas next. "By the way, I've sent two of my best man to parley with the orcs. They should be returning soon."

"Sire!"

A pair of horses covered in blood ran into camp in a frenzy. The men hastily did whatever they could to calm them down.

Uther examined the mounts for a moment before he cursed. "Damn orcs. It's clear that they aren't going to surrender."

"If they aren't going to surrender, then let's just destroy them all!"

"Settle down Arthas! We are Paladins, vengeance is not what we aim for. If we let ourselves be consumed by bloodlust, we would be no better than the beasts the are."

The prince took a deep breath to calm himself.

It was clear he was still inexperience. The way he let himself get carried away, reminded Shirou of the overzealous figures he had studied and read upon in the history books.

"Your right. I'm sorry Uther."

"Well now that you've calmed down, how about you lead the attack?"

"Me? I mean off course."

From the way he carried himself, Shirou suspected that Arthas was still new as a commander.

"I'll patrol the area to ensure that no orcs slip past our defenses." Uther glanced at him. "And I would like to have a word with our guest if possible."

"I understand."

Shirou mentally braced himself for the conversation he was going to have.

As Arthas went his way, Uther gestured to follow him. The two walked side by side. The red haired boy noticed how little men there was in the camp and found himself wondering how this could be a proper attack force.

"I heard you fight like a warrior despite using magic." Uther broke the silence. "It's been some time since I've met someone like you."

"Is that unusual?"

"Quite. In all my time, the only ones who fight like you are the spellbreakers and they are a bunch of individuals who specialize in hunting down rogue mythical elements such as other mages." He shook his head. "Before I can even decide what to do with you I wish to know more about you."

"You mean my fighting experience?"

"What else would I be interested in at this moment?"

It was a proper question without any doubt, that didn't mean Shirou had to be comfortable answering it.

"I have experience in fighting, but most of it was against other humans. The battle against the orcs was my first if I had to be honest."

Knowledge was power. After going through the Grail War, Shirou had come to gather an appreciation for knowledge, especially if it was against the enemy. His experience was inherited from a possible future version of him, and was limited to fighting in the Grail War and nothing more.

"So by your words, you have no knowledge about what the types of tactics and fighting styles the orcs utilize."

"I don't suppose they are always going to be about brute force like they used before?"

The Paladin let out a soft chuckled. "Boy, if they were that simple, they would never have become such a problem." Shaking his head, the elderly man went into explanation. "Contrary to what most people believe, the Orcs are not mindless barbarians... most of the time. It is true that they prefer using brute force, but that doesn't mean that is all they know how to do."

"Are you referring to mage-magic?"

The term of magecraft and magic was different here. There was no separation magecraft and magic in this world. It was another thing he had to remember. From the stories told, true magic existed in this world, but regular magecraft was considered magic as well.

"That's just one of the topics to talk about." Uther nodded. "I heard from the Arthas that you used some kind of magic to enhance your physical capabilities."

"My people call it reinforcement."

"An understandable name." He nodded in understanding. "Is there any downsides to using it?"

"Not at all why?"

"If you are to join us, you should at least understand the enemy and potential dangers there is." The elder gestured for him to follow him on his patrol. "The orc shamans have a spell similar to yours. Their spells, increase the strength and speed of the orcs exponentiality, at the price of burning out their life span. When under the spells of their warlocks, apart from immense increase in physical abilities, they also lose their sense of pain."

"So it's like reinforcement then, expect it burns life and also removes sense of pain." The boy took in the knowledge before he changed the topic. "What other things can they do?"

"Before I answer that question, I must know, how strongly are you dependant on your magics?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"The spellcasters the orcs have, are weak individually, but they become extremely dangerous when paired in groups. Even weak disorganized groups can become dangerous as long as there is a single caster in their ranks." Uther took a breath before he continued to explain. "More importantly, depending on the types of magic you use, they can be extremely dangerous to other magicians."

Shirou's eyes narrowed, he thought about the direction the conversation was going. "Are you saying that these casters can counter my spells?"

"Perhaps. I have no knowledge of your magics. What I do know, is that many of them have abilites that stripes a person of whatever magic that they use to support themselves. Take your magic for example. There is a high chance that a shaman could easily stripe you of your power, returning your strength to a regular person."

Shirou nodded in understanding. The situation could be harder than he thought. _"Off course it would be. I'm living in an age where magic is not only common but much more powerful."_ He reminded himself. Azeroth was still living in an age comparable to the age of the gods. An age where magic was far more potent, an age where real heroes and legends existed, and not copies like Servants were.

Even Magross the fishing obsessed maniac was capable of performing abilities while far from a Servant, was still easily above what most modern day magi of his world. And he wasn't anyone special. He understood how dangerous it would be, if he ever met an enemy who could stripe of him of his powers, especially if it was on the battlefield.

"Apart from that, the most difficult aspect of fighting them is their command over the elements. The most experienced ones can summon elemental monsters, or even command the elements in ways you could never see coming. And that's not even getting into the witch doctors."

"Why are you telling me this?"

The elderly paladin turned to face him with a serious expression. "Because lad, even though you are not from these lands, I can still recognize that kind of look you have in your eyes. You wish to save you loved ones regardless of the price that must be paid." Sighing, Uther shook his head. "I've seen many brave people make incredibly foolish decisions over my years of fighting and have lost their lives as a result. You are the type who would most likely charge into battle without information as you are on a time limit. I know it is a fool's errand to try and stop you from taking part in the battle, the least I could do is give you some information that may save your life."

Using his hammer, Uther pointed at a mountain far away. "Now the ritual is likely going to take place at the base of the mountain at sunset. We have a half a day if we are going to save them. But the problem is that there is a huge base that we have to cut through to reach it. A small force may be able to sneak around the base and into the ritual ground itself, but I would like to know what kind of enemies we could possibly be facing there before I send anyone there."

"I'll be heading there obviously."

"As much as it pains me to say this, it maybe for the best." The paladin agreed. "I don't have time to get to know you better and because of this, It is hard to integrate you into the army. It would be better if you attempted to attack the ritual ground directly. Arthas would most likely assault the base first. I would give you more men if I could, but I can't."

"So I'll move when the battle starts?"

"Must you really ask such a thing?"

Shirou just shrugged. Indeed there wasn't any point to asking it.

It didn't change the fact that it was fun.

The most difficult part for Shirou was waiting for the forces to be assembled. While Uther was clearly more capable, the man seemed content on letting Arthas take the lead despite his inexperience. It took awhile but eventually the forces ready to march.

'Hold up boy."

Uther stopped him.

From the forest, a lone individual walked out.

The rantings of the lone orc only served to make the elderly Paladin sigh.

At speeds far belying his size, Uther smashed the orc in one strike.

"A mirror image...it seems you will likely be facing a blademaster at the ritual ground." He turned to Shirou. "Boy, you best be careful. Blademasters specialize in dueling. They have imbued themselves with the power of the wind along high levels of swordsmanship. Don't let your guard down."

"I won't."

Slinging a light travel bag over his shoulders, Shirou Emiya went in the opposite direction as Arthas's army.

There were minor annoyances in the way, but Shirou dealt with them quickly. While the orcs were vastly stronger than a normal person physically, they still died to the same things. The trolls that allied with the orcs were no different.

"What is this?"

Even though he was in a rush, Shirou had to take a moment to register the scene in front of him.

Sure enough, the pathway to the ritual ground was a straight clear road in front of him. There was nowhere to hide. Which bothered him.

"Why is it so lightly guarded? No actually don't answer that."

A ritual ground was necessary for a ritual. It made no sense for it be so lightly guarded. The only guards were the ones at the entrance, and even then it was only a small amount. He recognized a trap when he saw one.

" _There wasn't anything like those shamans that Uther spoke off. Then again, he did mention that they were uncommon among the orcs. Perhaps that's the reason why everything has gone so smoothly?"_

" _Could they make a trap any less obvious?"_

"Brother!"

"Miyu!"

The trap was looking dumber by the second. Leaving the sacrifices out in the open? It was so obvious that it was painful. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he approached them quickly.

He pretended to not hear the warnings of the people. Kneeling down in front of his sister and reaching for the net...only to dive to the side in time as a blade slammed onto the ground he was at a moment ago.

"Really? If you want to spring a trap on someone at least try to be discreet about it."

He barely parried the blow that would have cleaved him in half.

" _He's fast!"_

He was caught off guard by the speed of his opponent. It wasn't as fast as the Servants he fought in the war, but still enough to be a danger.

The boy stumbled back as the blademaster attacked with vigor. Eventually, an opening was presented and Shirou kicked him in the stomach pushing him back. The two circled each other slowly evaluating their opponent.

"Hmph!"

The blademaster grinned as he raised his sword to his chest. His body shifted violently left and right. One became three immediately. They raised their blades and charged at him.

" _There are illusions and nothing more."_

That was a problem in its own right. His style was built on the idea of leaving fatal openings to predict an attack and counter against it. However in this case, it was of little use. The opponent's were a mix of both real and fake.

Each time he defended, he received different reactions. At times, his weapon went through his opponent's. At times, they were solid. It would be dangerous if it went on like this. The boy knew of a simple solution though. He leapt backwards before spreading his arms forward. Tracing into existence a swarm of blades and spears before firing.

The orc managed to knock away a few weapons, before he faltered and his body was torn apart. If Shirou couldn't tell which was real, he would just strike all of them at the same time.

"Sigh…"

The boy let out a sigh of relief before he fell on his butt. Exhaustion taking a clear toll on him. The battle was easier than the war. He flashed his sister a reassuring smile. The battle was not over, but his role was.

* * *

"I see you managed to accomplish your goal. Well done lad."

"Could you please not call me lad? It makes me feel like a little boy."

"You could at least allow this old man some fun."

Uther passed him a jar of milk.

Shirou passed him some seasoning in turn. The food in this land was completely different from what he normally had, and even after a period of time, he still hadn't gotten used to it.

The two had a light meal as they observed Arthas in leading the clean up. The battle was over quickly. The orcs had been outnumbered and outmatched from the start. Things were only easier when they refused to fall back and utilize tactics.

Even a novice commander could have routed them with ease as long as they took no reckless actions.

"So what are your plans now?"

"I don't know. I was only focused on saving my sister that I never thought about anything else. It's not like we have anywhere else to go."

"Yes, with the village in ruins and remnants of orc marauders around, it might be easier and more importantly safer if you were to move to a capital city until the threat is neutralized. I could recommend Lordaeron. Or perhaps Dalaran since you have mystical powers."

"Before that, what would happen to the survivors?"

"The kingdom of Lordaeron would offer them refuge for the time being until the threat has passed. Once then, they will assist in the rebuilding of the village. You are welcome to join if you want."

Dalaran was a nice place. However, it would be foolish to simply assume that it would be the best place when he hadn't seen anything else. Furthermore, the way of living there was more extravagant than he would like to admit.

It would take a huge amount of time before he could get used to living in a place like that.

"I think I'll accompany the refugees instead."

"A fine choice. I'm sure the people will be glad to know that they are in good hands."

"By the way Uther, are all the battles usually like this?"

"Explain yourself."

"I don't mean to sound rude, or overconfident, but it's just that when I went into battle earlier, I expected the orcs to be more difficult. There was no mention of any of these casters nor were there any of these witch doctors you mentioned. Only simple orc warriors and trolls."

"We were quite fortunate. Even on Arthas's side, that was all he had to face. Normally things are far more difficult than this. Had there been such opponents, I was prepared to step in and take control."

The only dangerous opponent was the blademaster. Had he not been so foolish to leave an obvious trap, he may have been able to cut him down in a single strike from behind when he broke his invisibility.

He couldn't count on his enemies being this foolish all the time. If possible, he would rather just find a place where he and his sister could settle down and leave all the fighting behind.

* * *

 **Now I did say that I'm not a good writer. I'm writing as a side hobby, and even then I know I'm not a good one. So don't bother doing things like saying how my work sucks or anything. I'll be glad to report you if you do that.**

 **This story isn't even meant to be taken very seriously. I'm letting people know in advance that I'm not a good writer because I don't want people to expect anything much out of me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Just to let everyone know again. I'm not a good writer or anything.  
** **Furthermore, I'm not aiming to do some epic adventure story. This story is more interaction and character driven than actual epic fights. So if anyone still comes in looking for such things, I suggest you stop reading. Hell I said I had an idea, but when executing it, it tends to go sideways and you are left some really crappy stuff. Yes my work is bad, but at least I'm honest about it.**

* * *

"There's not enough taste! Do it again!"

"Yes sir!"

Shirou sighed as he chopped up another piece of vegetable. He had thought himself as a good chef because was able to cook up a good meal back home. It came as a blow to his self-confidence as a chef when he tried to get a job as one in a tarven.

"Working out in the world is a lot harder than I thought." He said to himself as he moved onto to another vegetable.

The kingdom may have allowed provided some accommodations for the refugees, but it was mostly the bare minimum. They were allowed a small encampment directly outside the capital city by a lakeside and nothing more.

The encampment was set up quickly, and there wasn't much problems. Food was secure, and there was sufficient protection with the soldiers of the kingdom constantly patrolling the area.

Ultimately, it left many refugees very bored. There was work to do, but most of it was mundane and quickly done. Many of them were simple farmers with no long term goals. So when their jobs and homes were taken away from them, with the exception of maintaining the grounds, they had nothing to do most of the time.

Shirou wasn't one of them however, he had chosen to find some work. And eventually ended up as a chef in a local tarven, some distance away from the camp.

"I'm guessing you only cooked for your family and friends all this time." A blonde muscular man in a leather vest and pants said to him as he placed his legs onto a dining table. "It's a very common misconception that being able to cook well at home means you would make a good chef."

"I'm certainly learning why first hand Barret" Shirou laughed nervously. "My friends used to joke that I might make a good chef. If only they knew how wrong they were."

Barret Glassheart was the owner of the Salty Scourge. The small tarven which Shirou worked part time. Currently he operated as his food taster. He applied for a job as soon he was able too. If he was to settle down, he would need a proper job and home.

Adventuring sounded tempting, but he didn't want to put himself in unnecessary danger, even more so when he to take care of his sister.

"Your actions are a bit slower today." He examined some of the vegetables that the boy was cutting. "And your work is a little sloppy compared to normal. Is there something off?"

"You could say that. My sister just started schooling a while ago and I'm a little worried about her. She says constantly that the teachers are quite devoted, but most of the students there are...difficult."

"Oh what kind of school is it?"

"Can I try again?"

"Go ahead."

Miyu sighed as the whole class looked at her. Their states were very uncomfortable. The young girl concentrated and tried to work her magic.

The parchment in front of her burst into flames. And was extinguished by another bucket of water.

"I'm starting to wonder if I'm overlooking something."

Many of the students there looked away as they snickered quietly. It didn't help that they were even younger than her and yet they were better than her. Even though they acknowledged that it was she was starting later than them, it couldn't be helped, it still stung her pride, watching them doing better than her so easily.

The young girl had chosen to take some schooling lessons because she couldn't get a job unlike her brother and didn't want to spend her time lying around in the camp doing nothing. And more importantly, to stop being a complete burden for him.

The girl had no delusions that she would ever be able to stand on the same stage as him and fight in horrifyingly dangerous battles like him, but if she could at least ease some of the burdens he carried such as staying out of it, it would be acceptable.

She knew that she was a base-breaking character in the class. The teachers knew that she had great potential and was eager to teach her. Their beliefs was quickly proven right when she was already capable of making basic things like conjuring a small flame which should have taken over a week on average.

However that was all she could do. Every time control was needed, her spellwork would turn against her and result in minor explosions. The awe she received from the other children for her quick start was quickly forgotten when she started to blow things up several times in a row. Yet the teachers continued to encourage her.

"It's so difficult." She sighed to herself.

"Myu may I ask you a question?"

"It's Miyu, and yes you may."

The young girl sighed again. Everyone around her kept pronouncing her name wrong. Even though it couldn't be helped, it soon became annoying having to correct everyone every few moments.

Beatrix Belladonna took a seat in front of her.

"May I ask how you discovered your powers? From what me and several other instructors have observed, we noticed that you seem to be aware of your powers. But have no proper training before hand. Why is that?"

"I was born into a family of...magic, but my birth parents past away when I was still young. The family that adopted me had some knowledge of magic, but they used a very...unique brand limited to their own bloodline, and they also didn't teach me anything. They couldn't teach me their brand and their knowledge of anything else was limited, so they teach me anything."

She couldn't say that it was because Kiristugu didn't even bother to pay attention to her at all as he was too focused on trying to use her power. This was the best excuse she could come up with.

"You have a lot of power. Maybe too much power." The teacher shook her head. "I've heard of cases where people can't control their powers properly because of this. Being a teacher for beginners, I never thought I would see a child with this much potential. Honestly, it's frightening. I've seen a lot of children with potential, but your talent and power far outclasses anyone of them. Probably the only ones with that much power was the late guardian in his younger days."

"Is there anything that can be done?"

"There are solutions to this, but I would prefer if I could get your guardian's approval first. This methods are not exactly very nice, nor are they cheap."

"I'll talk to my brother about this."

"Please ask him to come down. I don't have the capacity to teach you a lot until some measures are taken. The sooner your brother can come down, the sooner we can come to a conclusion."

"I see. Well it's a good way to pass the time, and not too many children have the chance to attend school, let alone one for mages."

"Oh? I was under the impression that many people didn't like mages."

"There is some truth to that, but there are also some who don't mind them. Most wizards tend to live in Dalaran, but occasionally they send some of their kind out so as to retain contact with the world. The ones who hate them the most however are usually warriors and especially the paladins. The latter have a belief of some kind that a wizard's power usually comes from some sort of dark dealing with the devil."

Shirou snorted. "There are some cases of that, but not everyone of them is like that. In fact, from what I know, a majority of them aren't like that. You sure they aren't mistaking them for warlocks?"

The boy was no mage of this world, but that didn't stop him from learning about them.

"Lad, trust me when I say most of them don't care to differentiate, especially the paladins. There are some who are more tolerant than others and would work with them, but it's rare to find one accepting of their kind." The man had worked there for many years, he had seen many come and go. Occasionally there were those who picked fights with others simply they were of different professions. Classism was a common thing around there.

"I see." He nodded in understanding.

He reached for the salt and poured it into the soup he was making.

"Hmm? There's nothing in here." He opened the bottle and looked into it. "Barret, did you restock the supplies?"

The man just laughed. "I tried to restock, but it was kind of difficult to do so. You'll have to make do with what we have for the next two days. But if you are looking for salt, there's some left in the basement. Don't take too much of it. We might have a customer or two later on."

When Shirou returned from the basement, he was disturbed.

"Apart from the ale, there's barely anything left. Especially the grain. Did something happened?"

The man shrugged before he gulped down a cup of ale. "Perhaps, perhaps not. I take it you aren't familiar with some of the latest rumors have you?" He wiped his mouth before he continued speaking. "Lately there's been word going around that some of the shipping companies have run into major problems. It's not just my place. Other places have been complaining about this. Something about a plague."

"What kind of problems?"

"We don't know. What we have heard is that some of their companies were attacked and burnt down and in some other cases, there's been a huge change in working methods. Because of this, trading has become rather difficult. It's a major reason why business around here slowed down for the past few weeks. The supplies you were using for the past few days are actually a lot older than it seems."

"Any leads to what is causing this?"

"There isn't-" Barret closed his mouth quickly as he realized something. "Wait, this is mostly just a rumor, but word on the street is that lately there have been sightings of undead roaming the countryside, especially around some of the shipping companies. I heard some people were sent to investigate, but there hasn't been anything to report about yet."

"Undead?" Another possible danger? He didn't know much about this world, but they were likely far from friendly. "Could it be the orcs?" He thought out loud.

"Maybe. I heard during the war, their warlocks were capable of such dark magics. Not that I actually saw them myself. Whatever the case, here's hoping that it ends as soon as possible. No supply, no business. No matter how good of a chef you are."

"Well that's bothering. I really won't have anything to do then."

"If you are up to it however, there's a place where we would likely be able to obtain some supplies. It used to be a bigger company, but because of its location and newer companies showing up, many people soon forget about it. How about you take a look at it tomorrow to see if it's still there?"

"Where is it?"

"Down the pathway. It's a straight line all the way to the countryside."

"The countryside? That's really far away." He wasn't looking forward to the journey.

The distance wasn't far away when mentioned in his world, not when there were things like vehicles who could transport over a large distance easily. It was another story here. Especially when all they had was a few horses having to drag a huge amount of weight over that kind of distance.

"Off course, the other reason why people stop trying to trade with them was because of the constant bandit raids. The area around them requires one to go through a road in a thick forest, making it hard to patrol the area, as a result, the level of danger even a simple run possess is quite high."

"Why not get something like a mage to assist with it then? Can they not transfer large supplies over a long distance with ease?" He heard stories of how some mages made a living doing such things. Magoss of all people did that as well. Perhaps he might consider this.

"Hmm...never thought of that. Well whatever the case, I'll write you a letter of introduction. I haven't seen their boss personally for years, but I have kept in contact with him. While your there, try asking him about the rumours of the undead and the plague. We may have to change our working ways if there's any truth to it."

To Shirou's surprise, he wasn't expecting to have to come down to pick his sister up from school. An arcane familiar had walked into the bar looking for him. After passing him the message, it had vanished into thin air.

He was worried that something had happened to her, and in a sense something did happen.

"Don't you dare laugh Onii-chan." She pouted at him, her face was a mess, thanks to ashes blowing into her face and hair.

She had tried to enchant some tools to come to life and perform some work. She didn't expect a stove to blow up in her face.

"Don't worry I'm not." He looked at the woman in front of him, all the while trying to hold in some chuckles. She jabbed him with her elbow but it did little to stop him.

"Shero?"

"It's Shirou, but close enough." It was an annoyance at first when people kept pronouncing his name wrongly, but it couldn't be helped, he and his sister were foreigners after all, it would be surprising if they didn't get their names wrong. Even if they did speak english or at least a version similar to theirs.

"Well if I may, I called you down today to discuss your sister." He looked at her, but she dispelled his concerns quickly. "And no, there's nothing wrong with her...well for the most part. She's one of the more attentive students in the class and under normal circumstances, she should be performing far more efficiently."

"Should be? What do you mean by that?"

"The thing is, we don't really have the capability to properly teach her anything. Your sister has a huge amount of power. A ridiculously huge amount of it. A level that usually only Archmages have. And it's because of that power, that she's struggling so much. Her powers are very difficult to control and as a result, she often either overloads her spells with too much mana causing things to blow up."

"Is there anything can be done?"

"There are a three ways I can think off. The first is to send her to a better school, though with the case of someone like her, only Dalaran comes to mind. The second would be to just teach her normally, and let her get used to controlling the amount of power she has. Though this would mean that she would take a much longer period of time. The last one is...most likely out of the question."

His eyes narrow. "Is it something dangerous?"

"Not at all." She quickly corrected him. "It's just expensive. Cases like your sister have happened before, people with too much magic often have difficulties using lower tier or basic magic, so they usually relic on equipment that can suppress them to reasonable levels. Some of the archmages in the past and even some in present day have been known to do such things."

"Why is that?"

"Maybe it's because that quite hard to craft them? Or maybe it's because they know how valuable it is? Or maybe it's because there's almost no demand for them so people don't really know what to do with it? I don't really know, I'm not a craftsman or a merchant. All I know is that they are usually expensive. Even mages don't normally know such prices because they don't use it unless they have too."

Shirou sighed. He wasn't a parent, so he didn't know how to feel, but he wanted his sister to have a chance in life. There wouldn't have been any reason for him to save her if he didn't feel that way.

"I don't have a clear decision in mind. At present, I don't even have a steady job, and a proper home. Perhaps it would be better if she remains at the school for the time being. When the dust settles, perhaps I would be ready to give a proper answer."

"That is fine." She nodded in understanding. A moment later, she slipped a piece of paper in front of him. "Now then, on to the second issue."

"What is this?" He asked while examining the contents.

"It's a form seeking permission from a children's parent or guardian for a field trip in a few days."

"A field trip? To where?"

"Stratholme. It's a city some distance away from here. It's unique in the sense that it has a zoo. A zoo that contains exotic creatures. It's quite famous among travellers. There people can see huge owlbears, living slimes,and so on."

"There isn't going to be any danger is there?"

"Not at all. It's been opened for a really long time, and there hasn't even been one single incident. Children are even allowed to feed some of the creatures inside as long as they pay a small fee."

"Does it cost anything? We are short of money at present."

"Only a little bit. If you wish to come, you may."

"I see." He nodded as he examined the entire content. "In that case, I don't see why not? A simple trip to the zoo, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Whoaaa…" He pulled on the reins. The horse let out a cry before it shot a stink eye at him. "They made it look so easy in the shows."

Riding a horse was a completely new experience for him. Despite having lived in this world for some time, he hadn't gotten used to many things. This was just another one of them.

Barret had been nice enough to rent one from a friend of his. Unfortunately he didn't teach him how to properly ride one. He had gotten the basics down some time ago, but never actually tried it out for real.

"Still, it's really far away from here." He said to himself absentmindedly. The journey wasn't going to be a quick one, nor was there any reason for it to be.

He had left over an hour ago. The trip was rather boring. It was just a long straight line down a road surrounded by a forest. The sight was rather calming, if a little boring.

" _I probably would never have gotten to see such sights back home."_

Technology and development had come far in his world, but it came at the cost of nature. Despite seeing many places with his father, he never came across one rich with such life.

" _I wonder if it's worth going back."_ He frowned when terrible memories returned. There were mixed feelings when he thought about Earth. There were plenty of good memories, and he even had a few friends over there, but if he returned, the whole event would restart itself.

His sister would be taken to be used as a tool and he would have to fight for her once more. Compared to such things, wasn't it easier to live a quiet life in this world where no one knew who she was?

As he was thinking such things, he stopped.

"What-"

From a distance away, smoke could be seen. Curious, he approached it. What he found would be a lot more disturbing than he imagined.

"Have at thee-"

A sword sliced off the head of a zombie. Some distance away, the boy watched in secret as the guards fought against the ghouls and zombies.

He restrained himself from jumping in, knowing of possible dangers, but also it seemed as if the guards were capable of dealing with the dead.

The grainary was on fire by the time he arrived, and the fighting was already happening. He wasn't good at hiding. The people there would likely have noticed him if their minds weren't on the immediate threat.

It didn't take long before the human guards were able to defeat their enemies. It was then did he approach them.

"Halt!" One of them raised his hand. "Who goes there?"

"My apologies, my name is Shirou Emiya. I came here to make a purchase of supplies, however I don't think that's possible." He glanced at the burning grainary. "I was almost here when I noticed smoke, and rushed here where I saw you fighting with the dead. I don't suppose you could tell me anything?"

The man looked at each other. It was clear that didn't trust him, but one of them who wore higher quality equipment gestured them to settle down.

"I apologize lad, but your trip here has likely been in vain. And if you know what's good for you, you would leave while you still can."

"What's going on? Does it have something to do with the undead?"

The man nodded. Shirou could feel him frowning even though the helmet covered most of his face. The body gestured gave away his thoughts and feelings.

"Lately, across the countryside, undead have been turning up everywhere. No one knows what seems to be the cause of it, other than some kind of plague. Though going from rumours and witnesses, it seems to have something to do with granaries and a cult of some kind. Most of the said places usually have concentrated forces of the dead nearby. We still don't know what's the exact cause of this plague and how it connects to the undead."

"Sir, is it wise to tell a stranger like him?" One of the guards gestured rudely at him. "For all we know, he might have something to do with it."

"Stand down. I know your paranoid, but we mustn't allow our fears to cloud our judgement." The captain sternly but kindly told him off. Reluctantly he backed away. Faking a cough to clear the mood, he resumed speaking to the redhead. "Forgive him, he's paranoid. And so is everyone around here. The undead has ways of suddenly appearing closely to us without anyone realizing. Already several villages in the area have fallen to them. Many are trying to evacuate, but constant problems like bandit raids and undead attacking have made it difficult for us."

"Why hasn't the kingdom done anything about this?" He asked. The more he heard, the more serious it was. The orcs were one thing, but a plague and undead? That sounded far more difficult to deal with, and much more urgent.

"Part of the reason is because this is the countryside. Far from the capital. Events like this likely hasn't reached their ears, and even if it has, the amount of time and effort it would take to deploy a sufficient force to deal with such things isn't easy. No doubt they will send only small forces at best to investigate, and only moving in their main forces if it's really that serious. We've been doing our best to protect the people as they gather themselves and their families before making our way to Lordaeron, but it would take time."

He internally sighed. In this day and age, telecommunications hadn't even been invented yet. When he thought about it, it was no surprise why there was so little knowledge about such a big event happening yet almost no one knowing about it.

"Do you at least know of this location?" he passed him the letter on introduction that he boss had asked him to deliver? "I was supposed to head here."

The moment the guard saw the letter, his eyes widen for a moment before he passed the letter back to him. "As suspected, your job is a failure. The company was destroyed not too long ago when a swarm of undead attacked the area it and the area around it. Only a handful of people survived the attack. The owner was sadly not one of them. If you don't believe me, I can redirect you where the headquarters used to be. Providing you are willing to risk your life. Undead randomly roam the area around there and no one is foolish to take an unnecessary risk at times like this."

"I'll take your word for it." He accepted without question. No sense in putting himself at risk if he didn't have too. "I'll make a move then."

"Best hurry, the undead are more dangerous at night when it's harder to see.'

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So that's what happened." Barret drunk from a cup. "The rumours were correct then. The dead are rising and ravaging the countryside. Some of the granaries are plagued and things are going to hell. One problem after another. You solve the orcs issue and now you have to deal with the dead."

"So how would your business go from here on?"

"With no grain, no food. I'll have to close this place down until this issue gets resolved. The longer I leave it open, the more I lose." Reaching his pocket he threw a small bag at Shirou. "Here, consider it your payment and your last one. Sorry I can't afford to pay you anymore, I only managed to hire you a few days ago and now I'm letting you go. You don't need come to here anymore."

"That's fine. If anything I should be grateful to you for giving me some stuff to do. And this money would be useful for me and my sister."

"Do you something plan?"

"My sister and I will likely be returning with the refugees, but before that happens, she'll be taking a field trip to Stratholme while I help the villagers prepare for their journey back."

"Stratholme, lovely place. Especially the zoo."

With all the terrible events that's been happening lately, she could use a nice change of pace.


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah I got no excuse other than I forgot about this.**

 **Remember, I don't consider myself a serious or good writer in anyway.**

 **I also realized that I can't write any action to save myself. So if anyone wants to complain, don't complain about that area.**

* * *

"I thought you weren't interested in coming, what brought about the sudden change?"

"Something happened...and it wasn't like I had anything else to do, given that my workplace closed down."

Shirou had no idea how to explain the circumstances behind his change in decisions.

Underneath his calm and happy exterior, he was actually worried. He had a dream. A very powerful dream.

It was a dream about a city being razed to the ground. A city that his sister was visiting.

The dream wasn't natural. It was too vivid. He had no delusions that he was a prophet of any kind nor did he held any kind of ability to see the future.

Even after he had woke up, the contents of the dream haunted him. He realized that it wasn't a normal dream. Someone was trying to tell him something. Take no chances no matter how small the risks were. That was a lesson he learnt while fighting in the Holy Grail War. Securing every advantage he could get, and taking as much precaution as possible was a key element in winning it.

Beatrix didn't question anything else, and he was grateful for it.

His sister was pouting. Clearly the idea of her big brother accompanying her for a field trip didn't sit well with her. The other children snickered quietly at one corner. This must have been really embarrassing for her.

Though he quickly silence the laughter by offering them some snacks that he had prepared in advance for them. When they realized how good he was at watching over them, they quickly forgot about making fun of his sister out of admiration for him.

"Next time, I think I'll take a portal."

"My apologies, I should have warned you in advance."

On the surface he looked fine, but on in the inside, he was about to throw up. Teleporting was very different from taking a portal. There was an incredibly strong sense of vertigo when the teacher had teleported him along with the rest of the children.

Most of the children fared better than him as a result of their teachings. As an adult, it would have been embarrassing if he were to give in and vomit, so he held on as best he could.

He could have sworn that he saw his sister grinning at him before she turned away.

That settled it, there was no late night snack for her later on.

Stratholme was a rather large city. There were many things to see. Accessories, food, drinks. The children looked on with excitement. But there was also much disappointment, given the prices of everything around there. If Shirou had money to spare, he likely would have indulged himself in some form of luxury such as the food or drinks.

"It's a big place."

"Yes, it's one of the largest places in the kingdom, there's more than twenty five thousand people."

"That's significantly more than any place I've been to."

Not that he had a lot of places to compare given his limited experience in this world.

For something crafted in the medieval times, Shirou had to admit that the zoo was a lot more modern than he had imagined. The design and layout was rather basic. The path way was rather basic, stretching across two long straight roads that lead from one part of the city to another.

"What are those?"

The redhead glanced at a pair of feathered beasts dancing about.

"Those are owlbears. They normally are quite peaceful, but can be very violent and aggressive when you encroach upon their territory."

A head like an owl, a giant furry body resembling a bear. Wings instead of arms, claws instead of feet. Truly, a mix of an owl and bear.

"Then what are those?"

He looked over a railing with the children standing beside him. Inside, there was a mass of black slimy blob with tentacles growing out of it.

"Those are sludge monsters. They are rather dangerous beings who eat anything. They have no eyes, but they have a mouth and incredibly sharp teeth. Some can spit thick heavy slime that can bring people to a halt, and some of the more dangerous ones can even spit acid powerful to corrode metal. They have a sensory ability that allows to detect nearby living things. Records show that the biggest of them can reach over thirty meters in diameter."

He looked at Beatrix questioningly. "Isn't it dangerous for us to be here? Would this railings be enough? It doesn't look very secure."

He wanted to go further into the issue of safety, but felt it would be hypocritical. Given how accidents have happened to zoos in his world where dangerous animals escaped or even attacked the tourists.

"It is fine. You may not know this, but there are wards that prevent the creatures from noticing us. To the sludge, it doesn't recognize our presence at all, and is going about with it's own business. But if anything goes wrong, there are keepers here who would deal with them swiftly."

He nodded in understanding. Inwardly, he felt it wasn't enough protection, but didn't voice it out, so he changed the subject.

"Are there any special events that the zoo has to offer?"

"There is some, but they usually only comes on at specific timing. The most famous one is an act that is performed by Filson the rat."

"A rat is a main attraction?"

He had seen rats in this world. It was no different than those back on Earth. Both him and his sister were a little surprise by her answer.

"Yes Filson is a giant rat that came about in ways that no one knows. He was captured and put into the zoo where he became a star attraction. People found ways to train him, and now he's the biggest figure in the zoo."

"That makes sense."

No it really didn't. Even though he was an adult, Shirou was almost as much a student as any of the children on the excursion since he was ignorant of the world.

The trip was eventful and a nice change of pace. Shirou looked at his sister as she leaned over the railing looking on as people feed a pair of wolves from a distance. The way she was smiling was a far contrast to the way she once was. It gave him a sense of relief when he looked at her.

The day was quick to pass. Time flew quickly when they were having fun. Before anyone knew it, it was time to leave. Night was coming.

Everyone was happy. Nothing terrible had happened. Shirou inwardly was rather relief when he thought about why he had come. His fears were unfounded. Nothing had gone wrong, it was just a harmless dream.

Miyu was safe, and so was the city. There was nothing wrong at all.

As he thought that, the sound of a bell rang loudly.

Everyone turned towards the direction of the bell, where it continued to ring without stop. A sense of dread filled the boy as he realized that he may have celebrated a little prematurely.

"What is that noise?" He asked. "That can't be good."

"That...isn't good. The bell normally rings only twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. If it rings continuously, then that means that something isn't right. Those are usually reserve for important or dangerous events."

Everyone looked at the two adults. Shirou racked his brains thinking about what he was going to do next. Though it turned out to be wasted effort as Beatrix took over.

"Children gather around. Make sure everyone around here is with you." She looked at the only adult in the area. "Shirou, take the children over there." She glanced nearby at an inn before she shoved a small bag of coins into his hands. "If there's any form of problems, just pass the staff some money. Get a private room, I'll look for you later on."

He didn't like the idea of bribery, but said nothing about it.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll go and see what the commotion is, and I have to acquire some various tools in case. We can't let anything happen to the children."

He nodded before turning back to the children.

They all looked at him frightened. His sister was the exception, who nodded in understanding. Calming children wasn't a speciality of his. He could tell that they were frightened or nervous at best.

They cried loudly and he barely managed to get them to follow him. It didn't help that the inn was filled with big scary people. Shirou recognized them as adventurers and soldiers. But to children, they must appear as frightening man.

Even more so was how on edge they were. Many of them looked as if they were ready for a fight.

"Come on, don't loiter around here. Don't give anyone a reason to focus on you."

He was rather rough, using more strength than he liked to push or pull some of the children away. The staff at the very least accepted the money quickly. Even in dire times, their sense of business remained.

"Alright, try and keep calm, I'm sure it's nothing serious."

The children weren't convince, but they kept quiet. His sister was the only one who was keeping calm, but she couldn't hide her inner fears given how he noticed her trembling if only slightly.

He opened the windows and looked out.

Smoke was rising in a distance. He reinforced his senses and could make out the signs of trouble. People were screaming as properties were destroyed.

"Is that…"

He didn't want to believe it. There were people on the ground throwing out. Some screamed before hand as they clutched their stomach while they fell onto their knees. They threw out a huge amount of blood.

When other civilians when to check on them, they were suddenly attacked. Shirou watched with disgust as one man pounced on another and started to feast on him.

The people around screamed as they fled in all directions. Chaos erupted as people turned on one another. Civilians attacking one another in fear for their own lives. Whatever rationality they had long vanished.

"What is going on here?"

He watched what was going on from the windows. He steeled his mind and inwardly readied himself for battle in case anything was going to happen.

"Are you children in here?"

The familiar voice of the teacher in charge called out from behind the door.

One of the students opened it quickly, allowing the teacher to enter.

"What's going on?" Shirou asked. He noticed that she was carrying several small bags of tools in her hands. Her expression was fanatic and her hair a mess. There was dirt over her face and blood splattered over her dress.

"Move!" She rudely pushed him aside as she emptied the contents onto a nearby table next to a bed. "Close and lock the doors. HURRY!" She screamed the last part out. One of the students let out a startled cry as he complied with the orders.

The mage begun to frantically draw on the parchment. Not familiar with the magics of this world, he chose to avoid asking what she was doing, and focused on another topic.

"What's going on out there?"

"The dead is attacking!" She replied in a heated tone.

She ignored the frightened cries and responses of the children and continued explaining. "No one knows how they appeared so quickly, but they just did. The city's defenses was caught off guard, and to make things worse, for some reason or another, many of the folks are suddenly turning into mindless undead and attacking those who aren't. The whole city is in chaos and if we don't get out of here soon, we'll be killed by them."

"So what's the plan?"

"We wait until I can draw out a scroll of teleportation that can get us out of here. I went to a reagent shop to buy what I needed but was attacked by some of the dead. I took whatever I needed and rushed back here. Or if luck would have it, maybe Prince Arthas would deal with them, though I doubt that."

"Arthas? He's here?"

"Apparently, it seems he arrived at nearly the same time as the undead did. His forces are engaging them, but it's not doing much good for the city. The battle between the two forces are tearing everything apart. I know the undead are difficult opponents, but it almost feels like they aren't bothering to save us at all."

He remembered Prince Arthas. He was a paladin like Uther, but one far weaker and a lot more inexperienced. It hadn't been that long since he saw him, and truthfully, he didn't like him that much. He gave the impression that he was reckless and impulsive as a leader.

"Shirou, do you know how to fight?"

"I do."

He had already fought against legendary figures even if they were just copies of them. The dead were but a minor threat compared to the likes of them. The only issue was he didn't know how to protect someone while fighting.

"Good, I don't know if the dead would come, but if they do, I trust you to deal with them, at least until I finish the scroll."

Every moment that passed was filled with tension.

The sound of metal clashing along with cries of battle had gotten loud enough that he was able to hear them even with the windows closed. It seemed battle was inevitable, just as he was thinking that, his realized something.

"Everyone, stay back!" He called out.

There were footsteps quickly approaching them. Not long afterwards, there was a knock on the door.

"Is anyone there?!"

"Who is it?"

"We're soldiers under the command of Prince Arthas. If there's anyone in need of assistance, open up."

Help was here, the children rejoiced. Without thinking, they opened the door. Armed soldiers walked in.

Shirou was quick to notice that something was off. The expressions they had was not that of concern. If anything, it was filled with regret and doubt.

Some of the children were quick to approach their savours, but Beatrix pulled them back. She approached the soldiers in their stead.

"Is this true? Are we really being saved?"

The men looked at each other. Their silence was unnerving.

"Is there anyone else in the area?"

"You did not answer my question." The teacher cut them off, not liking how he was changing the topic.

The lead soldier took a deep breath as he looked her in the eye.

"Forgive me."

The children screamed as they watched their teacher was slashed across her stomach.

Shirou reacted quickly. Tracing his favoured twin sabers into existence, he sliced off the man's arm quickly. The other soldiers in the room recovered from the shock quickly, but they were no match for him.

In a matter of seconds, he had dealt with the rest of them.

"What is the meaning of this? Why are you doing this?!" He held Kanshou directly underneath the throat of the man who had attacked them. "Aren't you supposed to be protecting these people?"

The man displayed no sign of fear, only fatigue and regret as he was bleeding out. "The entire city has gone to hell. Prince Arthas has gone insane. The Scourge has developed a way to turn the living into the undead."

"Scourge?"

"It's the name of the undead." The man coughed out blood. "Prince Arthas was beginning to lose his rationality some time ago. Seeing his people turn to the dead and not being to able to do anything over a period of time has caused his sanity to slip. Many of the man have also grown weary and frighten and someone even insane. Upon arrival, he has discovered that the grain had been plague. People who devour the grain would eventually turn into the living dead. It didn't help that the Scourge had arrived at the same time as he did."

"What does this have to do with your actions?"

"Prince Arthas ordered us to purge the entire city. We were to kill everyone in here, both the living and the dead. There was a large group who abandoned him, but there were also those like us." He let out a bitter laugh. "Logically Prince Arthas was right, but that didn't mean we had to like it. Cutting down fellow civilians, I didn't sign up in the army for this."

"Yet you're still doing this."

"Aye, can't deny that." He coughed out blood as he held his remaining hand over his wound. "If you want to run, you better do so now. It won't be long before the scourge or the prince's forces arrive. You'll have even less hope to survive if you get caught in between them."

The soldier took one final breath before he closed his eyes.

Shirou glanced at the children.

"This could be bad."

He was confident could fight his way on his own. Escorting people while doing so, however was a different case. The redhead looked at Beatrix who was leaning against the wall. Her expression one of agony as she held a hand over her wound. The redhead noticed the blood splattered across the floor was flowing back into her.

"What's happening?" He had an idea, but couldn't help but ask regardless.

"I'm just reversing my time. Undoing my injuries, though I don't think I would be capable of doing anything else. It's taking all my remaining strength just to heal myself."

"Time manipulation?" Inwardly, he was very impressed that such a thing was allowed to regular mages. The technology of this world may have been impressive, but it couldn't compete with it's mystic arts.

"Is there anything we can do?"

The teacher winced as she tried to get up, only to fail. She then pointed at the parchment over on the table. "You can get the kids to finish the scroll and get us out of here. There might be some mages who could track us, but it's better than the alternative of letting everyone get killed here. We'll burn that bridge if comes to it. I'm completely exhausted because of rewinding time. The children can't fight. If any side gets to us first, we're all dead."

"How long will that take?"

"It shouldn't take long, some of the kids can do it. Your sister would be the best choice for it."

Everyone glanced at her.

"Me? No...no...I think you should get someone else." Miyu shook her head as she waved her hands about. "I can't even do a simple spell properly."

The teacher grinned playfully. It was a sight that didn't belong in the environment in. "I know, you blow things up. You blow everything up."

The girl's face flushed red.

"But theory wise you seem to hold up. Finish the drawings and we can leave. Children assist her in her task if you can. For all our sakes."

There were loads of complaints. Her fellow students and even her friends didn't seem to think that she was capable of a task like this.

Her teacher had silenced them with a few words. With her guidance, her sister begun her task.

" _I should really try to learn more about these kind of things."_ He put that thought away and focused on the task at hand.

"Stay away from the windows!" He cried out to the some of them who looked out the window.

A set of arrows flew upwards and lodged itself into the walls next to them.

He cursed inwardly, the children looking out the window had given away their positions. Already he could hear the footsteps of people approaching. The redhead went out to greet them.

"Stay put." He had ordered without looking back.

There were foot soldiers who attacked him as he came down the stairs. He quickly dispatched them without hesitation. He knew that some were doubtful of their actions, but he couldn't take a risk and spare them.

"Gufh!" He cried out as a bomb went off at his sides. He turned to face a dwarven riflemen. The short but stout figure looked surprised as he realized his target was still standing. He readied himself for a second shot, only to be cut down when a saber flew into his head.

The dwarves comrades were quick to realize the danger. They gathered around and opened fire. He put his blades in a cross guard as he ran in. Bullets grazed his skin, and occasionally a few even connected. He survived them easily thanks to reinforcement, but still took damage.

" _There's a limit to how much I can take."_

A direct hit from anything without his magecraft supporting him was lethal. He spared no effort in killing anything that moved. Dwarves may have a harder body compared to humans, but they fell just as easily as their human counterparts when it came to his weapons.

His weapon and skills were above anything they ever had.

Still no matter how many he cut down, but more take their place.

A massive explosion went off next to him. He let out a cry as he was blown away.

" _Sometimes I have to question the level of technology in this world."_

It wasn't a direct hit, but it still hurt. The culprits were a pair of dwarves operating a motar. He returned the favour by firing an arrow through their skulls.

He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Shirou wasn't used to this kind of battle. Glancing at the side, he realized another problem.

"Get out of my way!"

The dead were advancing. As he had been distracted with the human forces, a wave of undead arrived.

He cut them down just as easily as he did with the humans. However they had plenty of reserves. Unlike the humans, it didn't matter how many he cut down. For every zombie he cut down, two more took its place. For every ghoul he cut, another two would appear. It was an endless cycle.

The idea of using a powerful Noble Phantasm came to mind, but the prospect of possibly hurting an innocent in the crossfire pushed that thought away. He wasn't certain if would be enough.

As he cut lopped of the head of another ghoul, his arms suddenly lost strength and Kanshou and Byakuya fell to the ground. He couldn't feel his legs as well. The dead saw this as an opportunity to attack, but several traced weapons were quick to correct that mistake.

He glanced to the side where figures in black robes were focusing their attention on him. Even without the use of his arms and legs, he dealt with them by trace firing several weapons into their bodies.

As he felt them perish, he regained the use of his limbs.

" _So that was another form of magic. I should really take the time to learn more about them when I have the chance."_

He felt a little jealous, not having personal skills like magic resistance. It made him feel a little vulnerable. Foot soldiers and mindless dead were no threat to him on their own, regardless of how many came at him. The only potential problem was the unknown magics used.

" _Kill the mages first. Everything else is secondary."_

He chuckled at the irony. He had chosen to go against his father's ideal, but was presently acting like him. In the end, he really was his son no matter what anyone said.

"Still how long does it take to draw up a few glyphs?" He can't help but wonder out loud as he glanced at the inn.

* * *

"The circle is a little off, but most of what you drew is fine. You have to overlay them properly, a single mistake might result in us being dumped into the middle of a firing zone."

Miyu sighed as she looked out the window while ignoring the fighting going on outside.

An explosion rocked the inn. The children continued to help with the drawings.

"It's kind of scary when I think about it. No one seems to mind the commotion going on outside."

It would be one thing for experience adults to be remaining calm in dire circumstances, it was another thing for children.

One of them just looked at her with half dead eyes as she replied. "We have to listen to you making explosions and often taking cover behind all kinds of objects every single day. We kind of gotten use to it."

How rude! She wasn't as bad as the forces of the darkness who threatened to devour all life...right?

As she was thinking that, she heard a familiar voice cry out in pain. Even though she should have been busy with finishing the scroll, she couldn't help but look out the window.

"Still standing are you? You are quite resilient for a human."

Shirou glared at the figure in front of him. It was huge, and it was no undead, though he commanded them.

When he had first appeared, he led greater undead such as giant abominations stewed together from the broken and severed limbs of other people with a giant hole in it's stomach. Huge monstrous skeletal spiders along with catapults that shot out body parts that launched exploding body parts.

They were still no match for him. It took more effort, but they went down quickly. Even with many limbs with each holding a weapon, Shirou simply smashed them before cutting them to pieces. The spiders and their webbing was a hassle, but they were easily dispatch with traced fire.

The demon that followed was different. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a swarm of insects at him. It wasn't something he could cut down, and so he ran. He jumped over rubble and ascended the buildings. He traced several blades ready to impale the demon, but all the demon did was point one finger at him.

It was all he needed. He felt strength leaving his body, his conscious was fading. He recognized what was going on.

He cut himself, letting out a cry of pain, but waking himself up. He was ready to fire his weapons at him, only to discover the demon had vanished. A buzzing sound reminded him of the danger at hand as a swarm of insects caught up with him.

He gritted his teeth as the bugs tore into his flesh. He trashed about, and lost his footing as he fell from the roof.

"I'm getting too used to this." He sighed as another wave of the dead advanced on him once more.

"And done."

The children cheered as they scroll was finished.

"Now where's your brother?"

Some children peeked out the windows. An abomination smashed through a home nearby and the said individual walked out from the rubble.

"Over there."

"Can someone call him? I can't exactly move."

"I don't think he can hear us."

"Maybe we should try something flashy?"

"Teacher, isn't using the scroll itself rather flashy in it's own way?"

"That's why we need him back."

Beatrix sighed as she considered her options. The sound of fighting was getting louder, time was running out.

"Miyu, open the window and cast one of those festive spells I taught you. And this time, don't hold back anything."

"Teacher?"

"Trust me."

"Teacher! She's going to blow us all up!"

"She can't even light a spark properly!"

Miyu was more concern about about the results than the insults that she was getting. The fact that it was justified served to make it hurt more. Even if it wasn't the time for it, she couldn't help but pout at how no one seemed to trust her.

"Good, because I'm counting on her making as loud of a noise as possible. Don't worry about trying to contain it. Just make as much of noise as you want."

"Yes teacher." She sighed. Well at least there wasn't any way she could mess this up.

Every other child backed away from her. After chanting, she pointed out the window and towards the moon itself.

* * *

Shirou sighed in relief as he finished the last of a swarm of undead. The demon that had been leading them was nowhere to be seen.

" _Off all the enemies here, he seemed to be the only difficult one to face."_

The demon was quick to act and vanished just as quickly. As he thought about his enemy, a massive flash of light exploded in the night sky. He shielded his eyes, waiting for the light to die down.

He knew what was going on and made his way back to the inn.

The light drew the attention of everyone else in the area. Human and undead rushed to the source, but everyone was cut down by him.

The undead were like moths drawn to a flame. He recognized the signal calling him back.

Inwardly he had cursed himself for getting carried away and leaving the inn unguarded. It was an easy task to scale the buildings and leap over them, taking a bypass towards his destination.

At most there were only annoyances in the form of rifleman shooting at him. It stung a little, but he ignored it.

* * *

"Were you a survivalist or something?" Beatrix asked as she observed the hot water being boiled.

"Not exactly. I did learn how to live by myself, but never having to take care of others with the exception of my sister."

When the Grail War begun, he wasn't often at his home. His enemies knew where he lived, so he had to learn how to survive outside. It only lasted for a short period, but he learnt a lot.

The group were in the middle of the woods. The scroll had been hastily drawn up and there wasn't enough time to correct it. Nevertheless it did its job well enough. They had teleported out of the city. Forcing his way through it would have been possible, but it was a far more difficult and impractical option.

"By the way, I heard you say that my sister had a lot problems, but she seemed to pull her weight back then."

"I only mentioned her problems, I never said she had no strengths. Your sister is one who absorbs knowledge like a sponge. She can do theory easily, but practical wise is a different issue. Today was an exception, since I told her to not hold back and just let loose everything." There was a pause as the teacher of the group took a drink of hot water before continuing. "She'll go far in life as long as someone watches over her."

"I see. What are your plans for the moment?"

She shrugged. "I'll go back to the capital city and continue my life as always. Life outside the city is getting too dangerous. You might want to find somewhere to settle down."

"I'll need to be able to make a living first." He laughed weakly. "Not to mention, trouble comes finding us wherever we go."

The group were spending the night in the forest. Beatrix being the only one with the knowledge to send everyone back at once was too weak to do so. She hadn't recovered the strength used when she saved herself. The group was banking on her to send everyone back home.

"Go get some sleep, I can keep watch."

"All by yourself? Aren't you tired?"

"A little, but I'm used to it. The children would need you far more than me later on. They can't be feeling so good. I'm sure they'll face some problems as they try to recover from this nightmare. We're stranded until you regain your strength to take us home, and I can always take a rest when we're safe."

"I'll take you up on that offer."

It was clear she wasn't satisfied leaving everything to him, but she couldn't argue with his logic. He knew how difficult it was facing real combat, especially for first timers. The children would need help recovering from what the incident earlier.

He was amazed that there were in fact several other children who adjusted easily to the crisis when it occurred. He chalked that up to different standards of living in different worlds.

Looking up at the night sky, he couldn't help but frown. It was beautiful, but it did little to distract him from thinking about the attack.

" _If I hadn't come along...I might have lost everything."_

There was no writing it off as a simple coincidence. Something or someone had warned him about the attack in his dreams. Something was watching him, something that knew about him and he wasn't sure if it was for better or worse.

* * *

 **Yeah, probably going to try to avoid writing any serious or action scenes. Everytime I write, I just have trouble getting into the mood. Writing action just seems so much harder for me that I can't seem to find pleasure like I would normally do for slice of life moments.**

 **So sorry if it's a disappointment, but seriously, if you have complaints, make sure it's not about my lackluster writing in this chapter. Otherwise I'll just ignore it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well if I had to be honest, I actually had this chapter written out long ago, but I didn't post it because I have no confidence and eventually over time I forgot about it after chickening out for so long. I said a bunch of things, but in the end, my lack of confidence stopped me from posting anything.**

 **Furthermore, it's been so long that I forgot about the exact details of Warcraft Lore, so if there are mistakes in it, I'm sorry, it's not intentional.**

 **In all honesty, I'm a person with no real confidence in myself, no matter how much people try to help me. Hell I'm writing this, expecting crap ton of flames and nothing more than that. It's easy to critique someone's work because the skills and character needed is different from writing.**

 **Well anyway, I owe nothing at all.**

* * *

"I heard you recently got a job. Sure you have time to waste over here?"

Water splashed as shrimp was tossed inside. Magross looked at his companion.

"It's a part time job. The village is pretty small, so it's not like there's going to be a lot of orders in the first place." Shirou mimicked his companion's actions. "I only need to work early in the morning and I have the later parts of afternoon and evenings off."

"Ah an easy life is the way to go indeed." The wizard nodded to himself. "So what did you call me out for?"

"Can't it just be for a friendly gathering over a fishing trip?" He smiled sheepishly at him.

The wizard's empty stare told him that he wasn't believing him in the slightest bit. The redhead sighed as he changed the subject. "Alright, I was hoping to ask you about a few things."

"Like what?"

"Like how your magic works in this world."

"Why would you want to know that? Aren't you a mage as well?"

"The proper term is Magi, but close enough. As for why, it's because your system of magic and mine are completely different." Shirou pulled his line back. "I was at Stratholme just a few days ago."

The wizard's eyes widen in shock. His expression became serious, but said nothing. Shirou took it as a sign to continue. "We were under attacked by the undead, at first everything wasn't too bad. They were many, but I was able to cut just about most of them easily. It was only when the spellcasters got into place that I was in danger."

He remembered his movements becoming sluggish when he was under their effects, he recalled how the weak undead become crazed berserkers when under their support. He knew that magic was the greater threat to him rather than physical based on what he had been through so far.

Magross shook his head. "You were there in that hellhole? I can hardly believe you made it out alive."

"We can thank my sister's teacher for that. She crafted a teleportation scroll amidst the crisis." There was a moment's pause before he spoke softly. "Though she did had to rob a stall in the middle of the crisis."

"I'm sure no one would notice." The wizard grinned as his line received a bite.

"While she created the scroll, I stood outside holding the undead off, and when she was done, we got out of there."

"To craft a scroll in the middle of a crisis, that's not something a regular person can do so easily." There was a hint of admiration in the wizard's tone. "Scrolls take time to make, even a rushed one isn't one that can be made in a near instant."

"Yeah, and she did it while injured. Arthas's soldiers attacked and wounded her. She rewinded time to undo the damage, but left herself too exhausted to finish the scroll. My sister and friends finished the work in her place."

"Time reversal? Now that's impressive, and you said that she teaches children right? I'm assuming that she's one of those then."

"Those?"

"Retired adventurers. As someone who's been around the continent, I've seen a number of them. Mages, Warriors, Archers and so on. Many adventurers when young often travel around, they learn a few skills beforehand and then go around thinking their hot stuff. They either die young or retire quickly. Very few actually last long into the business."

"So what does this have to do with her?"

"Probably another one of those mages who thought that knowing a few high level magic spells would make you a big shot, but when you tried fighting in the real world, you realize how little that helps without experience." The wizard sighed as he casted played with his fishing line. "It's rather common, there are many people out there who has the potential to be a great spellcaster or warrior. Many do not live up to their potential and quit. I was one of them myself."

Shirou noticed a self deprecating smile the wizard wore, but kept quiet to let him continue.

"I was told many times that I had the potential to even be an archmage, and until a few years ago, I would have thought I would become one."

"What happened that made you change your mind?"

"My first adventure was supposed to be a simple adventure that even beginners could do. It went horribly wrong. It was a job to assist a local townguard in riding a mine that had been infested with kobolds. Now in case you don't know, Kobolds are small creatures and physically not that threatening. However we messed up, we fell into a trap, was ganked in an isolated tunnel. Everyone but me and my comrade who was a priestess died. I survived because my water elemental protected me, while she survived by pouring everything she had into a protective barrier. Needless to say, we gave up adventuring ever since then. If that was a beginners quest, I don't want to know what comes after."

"Are such things common?" He asked.

"Kind off. People hear about stories of great adventurers and think it's all glorious until they try it. Many adventurers die on their first journey or they quit upon realizing the true horrors and dangers of it. Some last a little longer, but eventually quit when they find themselves unable to deal with the stress of it. It's why those adventurers who lived for so long and made a name for themselves that people are even considering the idea that they might potentially be the stuff of legends." The wizard reeled in another fish as he was talking. "Given how you described that teacher, I'm guessing she's a retired adventurer or something close."

There was a moment of unease, Shirou decided to continue the conversation. "So what's the difference between an adventurer and a mercenary? Aren't both basically just people doing jobs for money?"

"It only appears that way on the surface, until you actually dive into the details and realize that there are some differences." The wizard summoned a mana pudding and begun eating while explaining. "For starters, while both work for money, an adventurer still has loyalties to the kingdom. Their quests and deeds are acknowledged by the kingdom and its citizens, and they are also not allowed to take up certain quests or have any interactions with other groups. For example, a human adventurer is not allowed to have interactions with Orcs, while a mercenary can still offer their services to them, provided the Orcs don't kill them on sight. Most transactions and dealings with adventurers are more public."

"So it's like a legalized and more secure form of a mercenary?"

"In a manner of speaking. There are benefits to being an adventurer. First up, you can gain reputation, and if you garner enough, the kingdoms may reward you. Such rewards include, major discounts across all stores in the kingdom. Better services, access to rare artifacts and goods that normal people aren't normally allowed, or even access to certain areas that one normally cannot go."

"Sounds nice."

"Bah, it's exaggerated." The wizard spat on the ground. "Adventurers are often on the front lines with little support. Many die early, and those that have a reputation often get tasked with more dangerous stuff and you are punished if you fail."

A moment passed between the two before the wizard spoke up again. "Bah, that's enough depressing stuff. What do you really want to know? If you were to ask me what magic in this world is like, I wouldn't even know where to begin explaining such a broad topic."

"Okay, I guess that was a bit foolish." Shirou laughed to himself before his expression turned serious. "What I meant was that do you know how to begin fighting a spellcaster?"

The redhead knew how foolish and embarrassing it must seem to be asking a spellcaster tips on how to kill one of his kind, but he didn't know many other options. His companion didn't feel like anything was wrong with it.

"Depends. Both warriors and mages have their own ways of fighting spellcasters. Asking me for advice wouldn't be that good as all I have is theory knowledge. Your best bet would be to head to the tarven in a town or something. Many adventurers tend to hang out there and often like to brag about their achievements. In a case of two spellcasters, it often falls back to a case of predicting your opponent's next move. The first person to get counterspelled is often the one at a massive disadvantage."

"Counterspelled?" Shirou was unfamiliar with the term.

"It's a method that forcefully interrupts a person's flow of magic. It forcefully cancels the spell they are casting, and leaves them unable to use magic for a brief moment. I've never been hit by one in a real battle, but even doing so in practice is not a pleasant experience. Imagine chanting a spell, and then someone punches you in the throat to silence you. That's about the closest idea you'll get to what getting hit by one is like. Naturally that only works the enemy is in the midst of a spell, if he's not, it's useless. It's why most higher ranking mages prefer to use weak but fast and more stable spells when dueling, the risk of getting counterspelled is too high."

"What other options are there?"

"Well the alternative is to use enchanted gears. Some mages carry on them trinkets that automatically protect them from spells to a certain degree, and they can fix themselves. Though there is a limit to the level of power they can protect you from. I don't know about the rest though. I heard warlocks and warriors along with Paladins all have their own ways to protect themselves from magic, but if you want more details, you'll have to ask one of them yourself."

"Thanks." Shirou nodded in appreciation. He wasn't one for violence, but to protect himself and his sister, he wouldn't take any chances and would learn as much as he could. Random knowledge might end up being useful in the long run.

"By the way, did you hear the latest news?"

"What news?" Shirou asked.

"Apparently Prince Arthas is attempting to build an expedition force. He's gathering as much men as he can in an attempt to storm Northrend."

"Northrend?" The name Arthas sickened the boy, but he didn't let his personal bias show. "And for what? And how do you even know this?"

"I make a living transporting people around. News tends to come around when you do such things. He claims that the leader of the Scourge is in Northrend." The wizard scoffed. "I shouldn't be to surprise. Northrend is a frozen hell. It is infested with all kinds of unknown horrors and dangers. Many who visit there don't come back and those who do are emotionally or physically broken. No one sane ever goes there, not even the most well known adventurers want anything to do with that place. Figures that the leader of the undead would choose such a terrible place to hide out in."

"I see." The redhead subconsciously tightened his grip over the fishing rod. He expected that the Prince would either be stripped of his status and casted out at bare minimum for what he had done, instead he was allowed to continue the fight.

"At the same time, another interesting rumour has appeared. It seems that there's some mad prophet running away spreading tales about how this land is doomed and that we have to leave. That the undead isn't the real danger and how everyone is too blind to see it."

"Well things have been rather bleak lately.."

The mage scoffed in response. "The village is quite far from the capital cities, I suppose if there was an undead attack, it would be hardpress to defend against it. Lately there have been more attacks, and the people are growing more restless, especially with rumours of a cult causing this mess."

He recalled the dreams he had been shown, perhaps there was some truth to this rumour. He dismissed the thoughts quickly, even if it was true, he wasn't capable of doing anything about it.

"Margoss, I have a favour to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Do you have any connections to people who can make mythical trinkets or accessories?"

The wizard casted his rod once more into the lake. "I do. Why? You need something?"

"You could say that. My sister seems to be born with a little too much power, even though she has the talent, she can't progress without something to stabilize her control. Her former teacher said there were mages with cases similar to hers, using certain accessories or equipment to lower it to a more manageable level."

"I see. Those stuff you mention are quite troublesome to procure. I may know one or two individuals who might have something you need. Though weather or not you can acquire it from them is another story."

"I'll take my chances."

"Very well then, make some preparations then, I'll introduce you to someone. You may have to do some work. Nothing is free in this place."

* * *

"Roughly how long does it take to get used to this?"

His companion didn't answer him. Travelling through portals still left his stomach churning. The redhead looked around and found himself in a forest. In front of him was a hut with several large machines standing next to it.

" _And once again I'm questioning the level of technology in this world."_

The machines were humanoid in nature, with the exception of a large buzz saw in place of it's hands and rockets on its back.

He didn't have time to voice his thoughts as his companion moved forth and knocked on the door.

"Is this a goblin hut?"

'Yes it is. And it belongs to an old acquaintance of mine." The wizard knocked on the door. "Gilbert! Gilbert Goldheart open up! It's me! I bought someone who might be able to help you!"

A moment later, the door opened. Shirou was surprised to see a small figure barely reaching up to his knees. The figure was green all over, had long curved ears, a mohawk and rather rough skin. He wore a leather vest and brown shorts.

"Oh it's you Magross. Want something right?" The figure looked at his companion. "This guy is supposed to help us? Yeah right. I've seen beggars on the street that look tougher than him."

Shirou took offense at that, but he kept a straight face. _"So this is a goblin. Never saw one before."_

"Trust me, he's not that weak. The kid was there at Stratholme some time ago."

The goblin's eyes widen a little. "He was, was he? Hmm…" He stroked his chin. "In that case, maybe he might be of some use. What does he want?"

"His sister has a problem with her magic, too much of it in fact."

The little man's eyes widen as his mouth curls into a smile. "Ah, I see. One of those right? But aren't you a mage yourself? Why come to me?"

"Those things aren't cheap. I like him, but not enough to spend that much money on him."

As the two continued to discuss, Shirou looked around. It looked like a simple hut on the outside, if one were to ignore the giant shredding machines. On the inside, it was completely different.

" _Is this a steampunk or modern day setting?"_

There were other goblins in the hut, working with tools like blow torches, and heavy machinery. There were other goblins who were experimenting with various weapons he wasn't familiar with it. He swore he saw one them shook electricity out.

He didn't even register his name was being called until his companion nudged him.

"What?"

"So from what Magross said, I can help you with what you need. You just need to do me a little favour first." The goblin rubbed his fingers together as if to say something. "After all nothing is free in this world."

He inwardly sighed. "What would it be then?"

"Oh nothing much. You see, lately there's some big shot who's trying to make an expedition force to Northrend, and he's gathering up as much supplies as he could."

Already he didn't like where this was heading.

"So there's been a large demand for lumber as you can see. The thing is, there's a rowdy band of gnolls and golems in the forest that are currently having a tussle in the middle of the nearby forest. We can't even get around them since they are many groups fighting all the time. We need someone to clear out the forest. So here's the deal. You stop their fighting so we can get to work, and in turn we'll give you what you want later on. Got it?"

"Are there any other options?"

"You can buy it directly in gold then. If we delay any longer, other rival companies would just swoop in."

Realizing there was no other option, he accepted the deal.

"So what can you tell me about this job?"

"Golems contrary to their appearances are not stupid. They have some degree of intellect and can even hold simple conversations provided they are not being controlled. They are easily angered though. Gnolls on the other hand are aggressive cannibals who have been known to hunt down anyone who crosses their paths. I would consider the Gnolls harder to deal with, since while individually weaker, they have been known to use cunning and underhanded means."

"I take it you aren't going to assist me?"

"Not at all. I'm not a fighter. I would be more of a hindrance in a fight."

He really should find someone whom he can watch his back. The wizard while helpful in moving around was no good in anything that required lots of physical activity nor combat wise.

Armed with nothing but a map, the lad had started on his mission not long afterwards.

The map was in poor quality, but it was still readable. Eventually as he made his way through the forest, he found what he was looking for. From atop a cliff, he looked down at the battle that was taking place.

" _So those are Golems, they don't look so bad to be honest."_

He examined their opponents.

" _And those Gnolls are worse than I was expecting."_

They were essentially giant rats who walked on two feet, but he knew not to underestimate them. They wielded their weapons clumsily, but they couldn't be underestimated.

He observed their battle from above. The golems were few in nature, but they were more powerful, essentially swatting aside the rats with ease. He observed the gnolls wielding magic. The most noticeable being a barrier of lightning. Yet despite this, the golems were unaffected.

" _Magic resistance?"_ He noted with interest. _"I heard that most golems were built in with a form of magic resistance to prevent others from taking control of it. Are all mechanical lifeforms like that as well?"_

As the battle neared its conclusion. He decided to intervene.

Tracing his weapon into his hands, he fired a single broken phantasm into the midst of the battle. There was a massive explosion which essentially destroyed the entire area.

" _Did I get them all?_ He wondered as the smoke was starting to clear.

"Oh guess I did get them all."

Underhanded it may have been, but he wasn't one to shy away from such tactics. Why risk his life charging into battle when he could defeat his enemies from a safe distance. Even if they were physically weak, a sudden unexpected twist or surprise might end up endangering him.

"Alright, that's one area cleared. Let's see how many left."

"That was fast." Gilbert was mildly surprise. He was doubtful that Shirou had finished the mission so quickly, but when he revealed broken pieces of equipment from the gnolls, there was no arguing with results.

"I didn't fight fairly. That's all I can say."

Sure enough, it would have taken a much longer period of time if he had confronted them head on. There was always a chance they had something that could catch him by surprise. He had rinse and repeat his tactics. Attack them from a distance with a series of swords, or just snipe them with a noble phantasm.

There was grumbling on his side as the goblin reluctantly handed him a pair of bracelets. "Shame, I was hoping that I would get to watch you fail."

"If he were that weak, I wouldn't have bought him here." The sole wizard of the group said smugly.

" _You weren't of any help in that department."_ Shirou quietly thought to himself. Nevertheless he couldn't help but smile. One troublesome thing was taken care off. _"For now we should move to a more secure location."_

The undead were still an issue that had to be dealt with. He had no illusion that a village in the middle of nowhere would be a secure location to settle down. _"Maybe I should I check with others about some ideas."_

* * *

That night, Shirou tossed and turned in bed. No matter what he did, he couldn't fall asleep. He had been at it for hours. Eventually he got up and took a walk. The constant noise that birds were making outside weren't making it any easier to focus on sleep.

" _So many things to consider, I don't know where to begin._ "

As he left the house, he turned around upon hearing a noise. It was a raven looking down at him. The redhead focused on attention on it. There was something about the bird that bothered him.

He continued to focus his attention on the said bird. There was no reaction no matter how long he looked at it. His patience eventually ran out.

"Trace...on.." He muttered softly. A pair of familiar sabers appeared in his hands. He threw Kanshou at the raven. The bird evaded it by flying away.

It landed in front of him, where it transformed into a man.

"Was that really necessary?"

There was a playful yet stern tone in the man's words. This man was dangerous. Even though he didn't know him, the redhead knew not underestimate him. His instincts were telling him he was far more dangerous than he appeared to be.

"I should be asking you that. You have been keeping track of me for sometime haven't you?"

"And if I have? What will you do?"

"Nothing. At least not yet. There's something I want to ask of you."

"Go on then."

"Were you the one who gave me a prophetic dream regarding Stratholme? I know for a fact that I don't have any prophetic powers." Others might have in his world, and maybe in this world, but not him. "I have to thank you for that if you were."

"Good, I see you might be a little better than the others." The old man's smile widen. "Perhaps you may not be a waste of time after all." He cleared his throat. "But where are my manners, my name is Medivh, and we have much to discuss."


	7. Chapter 7

**I haven't updated this, because like my previous chapter, I just kept it saved and forgot about it.**

 **Part of it was because I was busy. Now I won't bore you guys with anything else.**

 **This story's pretty slow. I might have bitten off more than I could chew, especially given that I've recently got a new job some time ago, so I might be rushing some chapters to get to the end, and just treat this as an AU. Because I've forgotten lots of minor details.**

 **Sorry if it breaks my already mediocre story.**

 **By the way, it's a very short chapter, next one would be longer.**

 **Once again, I owe absolutely nothing.**

* * *

"How does one earn reputation around here?" Shirou asked. The redhead was in the middle of his break. He had jumped to another job. As a freelancer, he often went wherever people told him of a job opportunity. Things were rather different compared to his time.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." There was more, but he couldn't say. No doubt his boss would think him crazy if he told him the whole story. He was having trouble believing the situation at hand.

"Why do you need reputation? Didn't you say that you wanted a simple life? Those who earn fame normally have a difficult life, burdened by the expectations of others."

"Just curious."

His boss wasn't happy with the repeated answer but let it slide.

"To become famous, you have to go around doing deeds that award fame and merit. Say you'll gain great reputation if you killed a dragon who was terrorizing a city. Or you can take a slow and steady route and work your way up the chain of command in a military. Combat is often the fastest way to become famous."

"I see." Nothing of much that would be of use to him.

His boss just stared at him for a few moments before he resumed work. Inwardly, the redhead let out a sigh of relief.

" _Yeah, I'm not too sure how to begin with this quest."_

Inwardly he was already thinking that he might have bitten off more than he could chew.

* * *

" _Medivh, that was the name of the Last Guardian. The one responsible for bringing the orcs into this world."_

" _In the flesh." There was a hint of playfulness under that tone of his. "But I'm sure that's not important right now is it?"_

" _Actually it is, but you're right, there are other things to worry about. Like why are you spying on me?" He was grateful for his services, but he couldn't let his guard down, especially against someone like him. "No in the first place, how were you even aware of my presence?"_

 _The wizard chuckled in response. "I have had experience with beings from other worlds, and I'm not just talking about the orcs. When you first arrived, I felt a surge of power, and went to investigate. At first I had thought some great evil had appeared, but to my surprise, it was a pair of human siblings. I watched over you two for some time. If either of you had become a threat, I would dealt with you long ago."_

 _His fists tightened at the words, but he didn't say anything._

" _Time passed, and my fears were proven to be false. Even better, it seems that you might be able to help accomplish my goals."_

" _I'm grateful for your help, but I see no reason to go along with anything you ask for."_

" _Even if it involves your sister?"_

 _Kanshou and Byakuya sprung in existence at his command. The old man wasn't worried in the slightest bit. "Settle down, I am not the one you should be worried about. I"m not the one who is going to threaten the lives of you and your sister."_

" _Then who is it?"_

 _The old man did not answer the question directly, it made him more agitated. "You are familiar with the Scourge are you not?"_

" _The army of the dead? How can I not be?"_

 _The Scourge was all anyone could talk about when they weren't talking about their everyday lives. How could they not, they had replaced the Orcs as the greatest danger to the land they lived in._

" _The Scourge's leader is in Northrend is it not? I heard rumors that Arthas is leading an expedition force against it."_

" _Bah." The guardian snorted in mild disgust. "The prince will find nothing but death in that frozen wasteland. Humanity has no chance against the Scourge should the dead take the war seriously."_

" _Are you saying that they are going easy on us?" The situation was already bleak enough for his taste. "If so, why?"_

" _Because the Scourge is not the problem, at least for not. Rather, it is the master of the Scourge that you should be worried about."_

" _Master?"_

" _It seems I have your attention now." Medivh took a moment to catch his breath. "Tell me boy, have you heard of the Burning Legion?"_

 _He shook his head._

" _Figures." Shirou no matter how adaptive was still someone from another world. He wouldn't be familiar with many names._

 _The wizard went into explanation. "The Legion is an immortal army of demons that travel the cosmos, destroying entire worlds in the process. They are the ones who created the Scourge."_

 _An immortal army of demons who destroys worlds. He had thought that nothing could top the Holy Grail War, he was quickly proven wrong._

" _Ten thousand years ago, the Legion invaded this world in force. They were defeated, but not without a heavy cost. This entire continent was once part of a complete world that existed back then."_

" _And now this Legion is coming back?"_

" _The Scourge is but a weapon of theirs. A weapon to weaken the defenders of this world. Years ago, the Orcs were their weapon of choice. Needless to say they failed, so they turned to the Scourge. One far more powerful and dangerous, and yet even they are nothing to the horrors that will come."_

" _The orcs were weapons that were designed to destroy the world. I didn't know that."_

" _That is of no importance at the moment." The wizard brushed aside his accusations. "For my crimes, I was killed by my apprentice and his comrades."_

' _And yet you stand before me.' He kept that thought to himself. There was another more important matter at hand. "You said that Arthas will fail no matter what, why is that?"_

" _The dead is but a weapon for the Legion. The foolish prince believes that he knows who the master of the Scourge is and attempts to destroy him, not knowing that everything he knows is but a lie."_

" _If you knew that, why didn't you inform him?"_

 _The former guardian snarled. "My attempts to warn that foolish prince was a waste of time. He and that uncle of his refuses to listen just the same. As does everyone else I attempt to warn. As you are not from this world, you appear to have more sense than they do."_

 _Experience was mostly to thank for this. He had known to not brush things off just because he didn't like something or simply because it didn't make sense at all._

" _What do you want then?"_

 _The wizard just huffed and pointed to the distance to his left. "To take the people of this land and head to the west. This land is doomed, even if by some miracle, the people defeat the Scourge, it would not affect the Legion at all. Sail west to the forgotten lands of Kalimdor, there hope lies."_

" _Hey wait!"_

 _The wizard shifted into a bird and flew away into the distance. Shirou had many questions to ask of him, but it appears he wasn't going to get any answers._

* * *

"Does it have something to do with the undead?"

His eyes widened slightly as his boss hit the nail on the head.

"Looks like I was right. Don't look so surprised, you probably aren't the only one thinking about it." His boss gestured him to look around. "Everyone here is actually on edge to be honest. We go about our daily lives, but in reality, it's just to distract us. The Orcs attacked us sometime ago, and the town guards were only able to slow them down at best. And now we have the undead who are even worse than them."

"Maybe fleeing to the west doesn't sound so bad now."

"Probably." The old man shrugged. "With all the unrest going on, some people might have considered either moving to an isolated area, or to the capital cities for protection. Things have only gotten worse with the latest rumours of Prince Arthas taking a large portion of the military to go fight the undead leader. Some are excited, while others are worried."

"Worried...that he'll fail?"

"That and the kingdom is weakened by it. There's been more cases of the dead attacking lately, and the kingdom is struggling to keep up with the amount of attacks. Even worse is that after the news spread that it's possible to turn people into the dead by targeting the food supplies, people have become more paranoid."

"Hmm…" Perhaps there was something he could do.

Time passed, before he knew it, over a month had flown by and he still wasn't anywhere close to accomplishing his goals.

Technology was bouncing all over the place in this world, but for the most part that only applied to the goblins and gnomes. In his spare time, Shirou had travelled to many nearby areas. Never leaving for more than a few days. He had changed to a freelancer, no longer settling for one single job. He used the opportunities well to better himself.

He visited tarvens, and other areas where adventurers gathered to share their stories and brag about their achievements. He learnt many useful things from them and combined the knowledge with his unique set of skills.

A gem of true sight to protect himself from illusions and invisible enemies, a hearthstone to return home in an instant, a variety of potions, and other small trinkets that would assist him. Adventurers had more work these days than before. They were often called in to assist with protecting villagers, escort missions and so on. The people often hired them as guards or hired muscle to assist them in their work.

As for him, he would occasionally help out with the townguard, working alongside others to defeat any threats that were to appear in the nearby vicinity before disaster struck. Occasionally he would work with several adventurers that were called in.

He was unusual in the eyes of many adventurers. He held greater power than most of them, yet lacked basic knowledge. Often asking questions that even novice adventurers would know the answer too.

The redhead was doing whatever he could. He made connections with others, occasionally trying to get others to join him on his quest in the future. He was stronger than most, but even he held no confidence in trying to fight off the entire scourge on his own.

His success was limited, though many were afraid, they refused to leave. Fear of the unknown made it hard to convince anyone to leave to the west.

A part of him hoped that Medivh was wrong, but he knew such warnings usually held some truth to it. It was a big regret that he didn't get all the answers he sought. The few people he was able to convince wasn't helping him much.

For the next month, life went by without any noticeable problems.

* * *

"Have you noticed something lately?"

"Notice what?" Shirou asked as he wiped the table. The redhead worked part time in the tarven. It was a great place to listen in on rumours and get the latest happenings from travelers, adventurers and merchants who wanted a place to rest. At present he was having a conversation with a regular merchant who often stopped by.

Throughout the last month, he had hopped from place to another, helping anyone if they were close enough for him to do so. He still considered his sister the most important of all, but that didn't mean that he had to spend all day with her.

"The number of undead incidents has dropped by a little recently."

"Really? I never noticed."

It was a lie, he had noticed the drop, but it didn't make him feel relaxed. In fact, it made him more weary. The people whom he expressed his doubts about the situation only told him that he was too paranoid and that it was a sign that the threat of the Scourge was coming to an end.

Fools, most of them were. It was only a handful of individuals who shared the same line of thinking as he did.

He had already begun making preparations for the journey to the west. He just hoped that he would never have to actually do so.

"Well, there's still a lot of things to do. Things like bandit raids have risen up to take their place, and the cult is still on the loose."

"One thing at a time." Shirou changed the topic. "By the way, are there any news regarding what I asked for?"

"You mean if there are still individuals who want to leave? Nothing much has changed, in fact some people reconsidered their options. With the threat of the dead having being reduced, they have grown less afraid, though there are others who are still paranoid and won't return until it's confirmed that the dead are no longer an issue."

That could cause some minor problems. He was hoping to make a reputation for himself so as to be able to convince others to leave with him it came down to it.

"Well keep at it anyway. Nothing comes easy." The redhead sighed. He finished his work early. It was early in the afternoon, there wasn't much to do.

"Oh by the way, this is just a rumour, but I heard that the kingdom recently sent someone over to call Arthas's force back. I don't know how true that is."

"Any news about his progress?" The name bought up some dark feelings, but he kept his face straight, not wanting to bother his companion. "It's been over a month since we last heard anything from him."

"Nothing new, though it seems that he and his men are still alive, so that counts for something doesn't it?"

Not really. He wouldn't let his guard down until he saw for it for himself.

* * *

It was nearly two months later before more news had surfaced.

Prince Arthas had returned, and he had defeated the leader of the Scourge. At first there were mixed reactions. Information traveled slowly, so many were doubtful at first. However as time passed, more people begun to take it was the truth.

Many visited Lordoreon, in hopes of attending the celebrations.

Shirou was not one of them. He had friends and colleagues who told him of several unusual events, such as the prince not being himself, and that the number of men who returned with him was unbelievably small compared to when they set off.

" _The prince is a fool, not knowing that everything he knows off is a lie."_ He recalled the words that Medivh had said.

He had been making preparations for emergencies over the past few months, and learnt many things. No more would he be caught off guard, like he once had. He had studied and learnt about what were the things that would mostly threaten him, and the methods for overcoming them.

But at the end of the day, he was but one man. Even though he had built a decent reputation and made some connections with other people, it wasn't enough. People's fear of the Scourge was growing weaker, and with the return of Prince Arthas, they had arguably lost their main reason for wanting to leave the land.

At present the preparations were already half way done, but had grinded to a halt as many people abandoned the project to returned to their daily lives, no longer seeing any reason to leave.

"You think I'm being a little too paranoid?" The redhead sighed as he touched his hair. He noticed that his hair had developed a few shades of white over the past few months.

"Letting your guard down at the first sign of good fortune is a sure fire way to get killed." His colleague, a heavily armed warrior by the name of Gran replied to him. The hulking man wore heavy armour from top to bottom, even in the bar, yet surprisingly he was quite light on his feet. He was one of the regulars who often dropped by the tavern he worked part time in.

"I know, I'm not stupid enough for that."

"So, what are you going to do? Adopt a wait and see method?"

"Not much else I can do." He shrugged. "There's a chance we could be wrong and that we are overly paranoid."

"It be good if that happened, after all, it's not we lose anything even if we were wrong." The warrior took a huge gulp of his drink before slamming the empty cup onto the table. "But now that I think about it, what was your plan even if we had to set sail to the west?"

"Truth be told, I haven't thought of everything." He wasn't someone who knew how to manage and lead others. Even an amateur could point out the flaws in his plan. "I originally thought all we needed was ships to sail and some supplies to last us the journey."

"Shirou, people need a place to settle down. Even if we did supposedly arrive, we don't know what kind of place it would be, and what kind of things are waiting for us. We need people who can fight as well."

"Right." He nodded. It was just another thing to add to his list of concerns. "Maybe we should look into someone whose good at all these planning? It's not something I'm good with."

"In times like this? Good luck finding someone who fits that bill. Unless something drastic happens, kiss that wish goodbye."

The two shared a small laugh as Shirou refilled his drink.

Neither would realize, the horror that was about to be unleashed until it was too late.

* * *

 **So yeah, it's a short chapter, next one would likely be longer.**

 **...I got nothing else to say.**


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